SEATTLE — As Seattle leaders say they are looking to community groups who work to interrupt the cycle of gun violence, several of those organizations say they are not being paid by the city, preventing them from doing the work to heal their neighborhoods.
Dr. Jacqualine Boles is the clinical director of the Redeemed Wellness Center. She and her husband, Chris Boles, have done violence intervention work in King County since 2015.
Her first contract with Seattle began in April for hospital-based response, where she and her staff respond to gunshot wound victims, find out if they are safe, what threats of retaliation they may face, coordinate a living situation and transportation to appointments, and start the process to find a job or housing.
“We come up with all these strategies to keep you not going back, not get your mama’s house shot up,” Boles said. “All of these things we’re planning and designing while trying to keep you alive and keep your mental health well because you have been shot.”
Boles says her group has been waiting for reimbursement from the city for work completed in May.
Emails with Seattle Human Service Division (HSD) staff that Boles shared with KIRO 7 detailed the city’s response.
Boles submitted a reimbursement for May’s work on June 23 that the city confirmed receipt of. On July 8, Boles asked for an update to the timeline. City staff responded, citing state law, that the invoice will be processed within 30 days “before or by 7/23/2026.”
On July 9, Boles asked the staff if they had everything they needed. July 23 came, and Boles was not reimbursed. On July 27, she requested payment, and the city said it was not available.
“I have hired people that I know are committed to the work, willing to wait on a paycheck,” Boles said.
She says she’s paid staff out of pocket and out of the organization’s reserves while she waits.
“I can’t keep up. I’m running out of steam; I am running out of money,” Boles said.
Boles brought her concerns straight to Mayor Katie Wilson during Tuesday’s press conference about the Seattle Center shooting investigation.
“We have been taking care of gunshot victims and their families. We have not stopped any work. But this office refuses to process invoices,” Boles pleaded to the mayor.
Wilson responded that she was not aware, but the city would look into it.
Before and after the press conference, Boles asked HSD staff about the status of funding.
“After yesterday’s meeting, you had all the documentation you needed. You already had looked at the corrective action plan, and it was sufficient,” Boles wrote after the press conference.
In response to Boles’ comments, HSD said they have been working with Boles on compliance issues in her invoice. Boles’ emails suggest they have paid workers through peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle, which contracts do not allow. Boles has requested an exception, but it’s unclear where that stands.
HSD tells KIRO 7 they met on July 14 about reimbursement requirements and “continue” to help Boles’ organization.
“As stewards of public funds, HSD has a responsibility to verify costs and ensure contract compliance. A cost reimbursement contract model is helpful both to the provider and to the City, as it identifies early contract spending, verifies costs, and allows for agreed-upon course corrections in a timely manner.
HSD values the role our community partners play in supporting residents––especially those affected by gun violence—and we continuously look for ways to improve processes and customer service. We are committed to working with RWC to resolve these outstanding issues as quickly as possible, while fulfilling our responsibility to ensure we meet contractual requirements that account for public funds."
Boles describes the reimbursement process as unique to contracts she has had with the city of Kent and the state of Washington. She has found the process so cumbersome she has hired both an accountant to track the city’s requirements and a consultant familiar with Seattle’s process to navigate the bureaucratic process.
“[They] whipped it into shape, gave a full packet; it’s still not good,” Boles said.
She says that this takes away the staff’s ability to conduct violence intervention work and distracts the people she already has on staff from working with families and people at risk of becoming involved in gun violence.
“We receive victims that have survived gunshots. We also take care of families that have lost their loved one. Okay? So I’m wasting time and days and hours. Trying to get paid and trying to do invoices, which takes your time from the real work that must be done, from the healing that must be done,” asserts Boles.
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