Gov. Tim Kaine included $1.7 million toward constructing an Arlington assisted living center catering to mentally disabled seniors in budget amendments submitted to the General Assembly last week.
The General Assembly has to approve the funds.
If included in the amendments, the money will allow Arlington to access $4.8 million of federal money to build the new 52-bed Oak Spring Assisted Living Center.
The money in the budget amendments is part of more than $10 million the state owes the county for 2004 expenses that were not being reimbursed.
Kaine did not include reimbursements for human services expenses lost earlier this year.
Inclusion of the funding comes following a recent report that found the county would have to improve senior services in the coming years to deal with an aging population.
County Board member Barbara Favola said the county lobbied hard for Kaine to include the funds in his budget.
“We’re talking about 52 new beds,” Favola said.
“There is a real shortage of services for seniors with mental health problems.”
“Seniors that have serious, serious mental health problems have to leave the region and go to a state institution in a different part of the state,” she said.
Kaine’s spokesman Maurice Henderson said the governor would work with the Arlington delegation to ensure the funding stays in the budget.
“The county made the request and the governor looked at it as a good investment in a serious need,” he said.
