Senate budget includes funds for Sally’s

Funding for the Salvation Army’s Sally’s House, a safe harbor for children who have been abused or neglected, or whose parents have been jailed, was included in a budget passed early Saturday morning by 22 Senate Republicans and three Democrats, said State Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, a supporter of Sally’s House.

That budget replaced a budget proposed by Senate Democrats that also included funding for the house. However, a budget written and passed by House Democrats, as well as Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed budget, cut all state funding for receiving care centers, including Sally’s House.

It became clear Wednesday the Washington Legislature would need a special session to hammer out the differences between the two plans amid a $1.1 billion budget gap.

State funding for Sally’s House – the only center of its kind in Spokane County – is still in jeopardy, but donations have been pouring in since an article about the emergency foster care center ran in The Spokesman- Review, according to the Salvation Army.

Chelsea Bannach