PA Counties on Proposed Budget: Mental Health Services Funding Falls Massively Short
News Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
The proposed $20 million increase will not be sufficient enough to help counties navigate through a worsening crisis.
In response to Governor Shapiro’s budget address, Pennsylvania counties are expressing serious concern and deep disappointment over the failure to provide sufficient mental health funding in Governor Shapiro’s FY2025-2026 budget proposal. Counties have long warned that without significant state investment in county-based mental health services, the system will fail.
In FY 2023-2024, Governor Shapiro made a long-overdue increase in county mental health base funding—the first in over a decade. The $20 million increase in each of the last two budgets was seen as a down payment, a recognition that far more investment was needed to repair a crumbling system. However, rather than building on this progress, the Governor’s latest budget again proposed a mere $20 million increase, falling well short of what is required.
A System in Crisis
The consequences of chronic underfunding are serious and alarming:
Real-Life Consequences:
Without immediate and meaningful investment, counties will be faced with continued challenges in supporting an adequate workforce, increasing wait times for services and potentially seeing more individuals in crisis end up in emergency rooms—or worse, into the criminal justice system, where mental health needs go unmet.
The Governor’s proposal for continued investments in school-based mental health funding is important, but mental health cannot be funded in silos. A fragmented approach will not work. Without a fully functioning county mental health system, our schools, crisis centers, and other services will remain isolated and under-resourced.
The Time to Act is Now
Counties cannot continue watching costs rise, demand for services soar, and our mental health workforce dwindle while state funding remains inadequate.
Pennsylvania counties strongly urge the Governor and the General Assembly to engage directly with county leaders and commit to meaningful, long-term investment in the 2025-2026 budget. Our residents cannot wait another year.
This is no longer a crisis we can afford to ignore.
In FY 2023-2024, Governor Shapiro made a long-overdue increase in county mental health base funding—the first in over a decade. The $20 million increase in each of the last two budgets was seen as a down payment, a recognition that far more investment was needed to repair a crumbling system. However, rather than building on this progress, the Governor’s latest budget again proposed a mere $20 million increase, falling well short of what is required.
A System in Crisis
The consequences of chronic underfunding are serious and alarming:
- 1,505,000 adults in Pennsylvania experienced serious mental illness in 2022. (Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Data Snapshot)
- Counties face the uncomfortable decision of either increasing property taxes on residents or potentially reducing or eliminating services without additional resources.
- Counties continue to report wait times of 6 months or longer for services in many parts of the commonwealth, including rural areas.
Real-Life Consequences:
Without immediate and meaningful investment, counties will be faced with continued challenges in supporting an adequate workforce, increasing wait times for services and potentially seeing more individuals in crisis end up in emergency rooms—or worse, into the criminal justice system, where mental health needs go unmet.
The Governor’s proposal for continued investments in school-based mental health funding is important, but mental health cannot be funded in silos. A fragmented approach will not work. Without a fully functioning county mental health system, our schools, crisis centers, and other services will remain isolated and under-resourced.
The Time to Act is Now
Counties cannot continue watching costs rise, demand for services soar, and our mental health workforce dwindle while state funding remains inadequate.
Pennsylvania counties strongly urge the Governor and the General Assembly to engage directly with county leaders and commit to meaningful, long-term investment in the 2025-2026 budget. Our residents cannot wait another year.
This is no longer a crisis we can afford to ignore.