Proposed Budget: Improving Mental Health and Crisis Services
Mental health and crisis services remain critical as Wisconsin’s kids, families, and workforce continue to struggle finding the help they need. Recognizing that behavioral health is essential to overall wellness, Gov. Evers’ budget builds on past efforts to support Wisconsin’s mental and behavioral health infrastructure, especially as levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts among youth across the state continue to rise at concerning rates. This budget makes significant investments in expanding the availability of behavioral health services so that Wisconsinites in all stages of life can receive care closer to home.
The Year of the Kid
Gov. Evers has declared 2025 to be the Year of the Kid and has reinforced the need for significant mental health investments to better support kids in and out of the classroom.
- Invest in mental health trainings for schools, parents and guardians, and students. The budget invests nearly $300 million to provide comprehensive mental health services in schools statewide, building on the administration’s efforts to address the ongoing mental health crisis, including:
- Investments in several programs aimed at offering mental health trainings to schools, parents and guardians, and students.
- Bolstering mental health literacy and stigma reduction in schools.
- Hiring more pupil service professionals such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and school nurses.
- Provide treatment for kids involved in the justice system. The proposed budget provides nearly $23.2 million to support and expand operations at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center (MJTC). MJTC provides boys and girls involved in the justice system with evidence-based services that teach social and problem-solving skills, resolve mental health issues, and build healthy relationships, with a goal of helping them successfully return to their communities.
Investing in mental heath
- Improve accessibility and affordability of receiving critical mental and behavioral health care. The budget invests in the Community Support Program, offering coordinated treatment for adults who live with severe mental illness. Counties run the program, receiving federal funds for these programs through Medicaid, but must pay the non-federal share. The budget provides $41.1 million to cover the non-federal share so counties can prioritize local funding for additional efforts.
- Building on lived experiences. Knowing that no one knows what it's like to deal with a mental health challenge like someone who has been there, Gov. Evers' budget continues funding peer-run supports. It invests $1.8 million in peer-run respite centers, $1.1 million in a peer-run warmline, and $0.6 million for peer recovery centers.
Suicide prevention and crisis response
Kids are struggling perhaps now more than ever with maintaining mental health. According to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey released in July 2024, 59 percent of high school students report experiencing at least one mental health challenge in the past year. Over half of surveyed students in grades 6 through 12 experience anxiety.
Only one in every five students who felt sad, empty, hopeless, angry, or anxious said they received the help they needed most or all of the time. Over 18 percent seriously considered suicide. Current funding levels for school mental health aid programs are insufficient to meet the increasing needs of students.
- Increase resources for Wisconsin’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline services. In 2024 alone, 988 Wisconsin Lifeline counselors answered 80,000 calls from residents throughout the state, listening and supporting people through their distress with a focus on de-escalation and coping skills. As families and communities across our state grapple with the impact of suicides and suicide attempts, the budget provides $12.2 million to meet the needs of those contacting the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline and to address a continually increasing volume of contacts.
- Helping people in crisis. Gov. Evers’ budget includes investments to help Wisconsinites in all stages of life access behavioral health services and receive care closer to home. This includes the development of up to two crisis urgent care and observation centers that would serve as crisis service hubs and offer a range of behavioral health services to everyone from walk-in appointments to first responder emergency drop-off cases.
Other mental health and crisis service initiatives in the governor's budget
- Expand Forensic Capacity at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center
- Geropsychiatric Treatment Capacity
- Limited Term Employee Costs
- Winnebago Mental Health Institute Revenue Support
- ITP Extended Stay Surcharge Revenue Use
- Community-based Withdrawal Management Centers
- Qualified Treatment Trainee Grant Program Support
- Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility Grant Support
- Law Enforcement-Behavioral Health Collaboration Program Grants
- Law Enforcement Officer Virtual Behavioral Health Crisis Care Pilot Program
- Behavioral Health Certification and Oversight Positions