Douglas County is proposing a quarter-cent sales tax that will generate an estimated $4.9 million annually to help finance and maintain a behavioral health recovery campus including a crisis center, supportive housing and prevention programs.

On the surface, Douglas County might not appear vulnerable to serious behavioral health risks. The population is predominantly young and educated compared to the rest of the country. The median age of residents is 30. About 95% of the total population 25 and older has graduated high school, and a substantive portion have college degrees or higher. When looking deeper, however, a number of critical factors create conditions that increase behavioral health risks. Douglas County is home to many populations who experience discrimination and health disparities. The county has a low median income and is characterized by extreme income inequality, with an inequality index of 5.2 (significantly higher than Kansas’ index of 3.7 and the U.S. index of 4.4). Median housing costs in Douglas County are higher than the state average and about 50% of the housing in Douglas County is renter occupied. There is also a sizable homeless population, which grew 20% (296 individuals) from 2013 to 2015. With a rise in inequity both nationally and locally, individuals with mental illness are more likely to be in poverty and lack quality health care. The confluence of these factors creates significant challenges for addressing mental illness and substance abuse disorders.