Travis County commissioners approved a 6% tax-rate increase for Central Health on Tuesday, clearing the way for $127.5 million in mental health and substance-use investments across the county. About $54 million of that amount represents new funding for psychiatric care, addiction treatment, community-based services and long-term recovery support. County officials say the expansion is intended to make it easier for residents experiencing a behavioral health crisis to receive care without entering the criminal justice system. “This is a historic investment,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said. The new funding, he said, will allow the county and its partners to test ways to divert people with serious mental illness away from the county jail and toward treatment. The spending plan includes support for a future comprehensive mental health crisis center, expanded psychiatric emergency and inpatient services, addiction treatment, medication access, recovery programs and continued operations at the county’s sobering center and other crisis-care programs. Central Health President and CEO Dr. Patrick Lee said Travis County currently lacks a dedicated psychiatric emergency department. As an interim step, officials hope to work with Ascension to open 22 inpatient mental health beds at a downtown hospital within the next year. A larger, dedicated crisis-care center could take about four years to complete, Lee said. County leaders have discussed a future facility with 60 beds. The county’s jail system is already under pressure. Brown said the jail houses more than 2,400 people in a facility designed for roughly 2,500, and about 70 people are waiting for placement at a state hospital. He said additional crisis beds could help reduce the number of people cycling through jail when their primary need is medical or psychiatric care. “You should not have to go to jail to access health care or mental health care,” Brown said. The initiative also includes a “No Wrong Door” approach, a partnership involving Central Health, Travis County, Integral Care and other community organizations. The goal is to simplify access so that a person in crisis does not have to navigate multiple disconnected systems to find help. Mike McIntyre, a peer-support recovery specialist with Integral Care, said his own experiences with mental health and substance-use challenges inform his work. He said stable housing and continuing support are critical to recovery, and that navigating services during a crisis can be overwhelming. Central Health Board Chair Geronimo Rodriguez said the need is immediate. “People in Travis County are waiting for help, and that waiting has consequences for them and the people who love them,” he said. The tax increase comes as many county residents face rising housing costs and property-tax bills. Critics have questioned whether the timing adds to the financial strain on taxpayers. Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now, previously warned that continued cost increases could make Austin unaffordable for all but wealthier residents. County officials say the new programs build on years of coordination among Travis County, Central Health, Integral Care, the city of Austin and other partners, including earlier federal investments in supportive housing. Commissioner Ann Howard said the plan addresses a longstanding pattern in which people with mental illness are left on the streets or placed in jail rather than connected with care. Officials acknowledge that the investment will not resolve every behavioral health challenge in the region. They describe it instead as a major step toward a more coordinated system, with the first new inpatient beds expected within the next year and the larger crisis center planned for the longer term.