The Dane County Board passed their 2014 budget after a three-hour session Monday night, which includes initiatives to address homelessness and sustainability in the county.

According to a statement from County Board Chair John Hendrick, the budget aims to improve the quality of life for the homeless through projects including a new youth homeless facility and a daycare center.

Hendrick said the board is confronting the underlying issues which relate to homelessness in Dane County, such as increasing shelter space and initiatives to help job seekers, in the budget.

“Both the board and [County Executive Joe Parisi] have also committed to housing and employment projects to address the root causes of homelessness,” he said.

Sup. Melissa Sargent, District 18, said a housing facility for homeless youth, which is included in the budget, is the first of its kind in this area. She said although there are many homeless children in the county, it is difficult for the county to support them in shelters due to issues of liability.

The budget also includes money for mental health and homelessness support, areas which may not typically receive as much funding, she said.

Travis Myren, the director of administration for Dane County, said there are some unique projects the budget will cover in terms of funding, including the possibility of building new jail facilities to replace outdated structures.

“There is $8 million to study and analyze the possibility of new or remodeled jail facilities, and there is approximately $6 million included for a medical examiner’s facility,” Myren said.

The budget will also fund a new medical examiners office for the county.

Hendrick also said one of the most important areas of spending in the budget included efforts to protect the environment.

“Millions of dollars of sustainability projects in this budget will allow us to reduce operating expenses, our use of fossil fuels and the climate impact of greenhouse gas pollution,” he said.

Myren added $2 million will go toward projects to implement measures which support sustainable use of energy.

He says these efforts are an attempt to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use overall. According to Myren, the money could be used to increase sustainability in existing projects as well as for new ideas that come about later.

Despite noting a few obstacles, such as state-imposed limitations and an effort to avoid unnecessary increases in homeowner taxes, Sargent praised the cooperation of multiple government agencies to pass the budget.

“I am really proud of the budget that we’ve put together,” Sargent said. “We have partnerships with the Madison Metropolitan School District and the City of Madison among other organizations.”