SEATTLE — Seattle is investing $8 million into homelessness in 2027 to help people stay in their homes before they fall into homelessness.
Included in Mayor Katie Wilson’s affordability agenda, the Seattle Human Services Department announced Wednesday a Request for Proposals (RFP) for homelessness prevention services, the Office of the Mayor announced.
Wilson noted that the RFP will make rental assistance easier to access and boost the likelihood that more residents will remain in their homes.
Funding will support rental assistance, eviction protection, legal services, and more
The funding will support rental assistance, eviction protection, legal services, case management, and establish a centralized application process to ease residents’ requests for help and better connect them with support.
“When residents are able to remain in their homes and communities, we reduce the risk of homelessness before it occurs,” Wilson said. “This investment will promote housing stability and help Seattle residents remain in the neighborhoods they call home.”
Wilson noted that eviction filings have sharply risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, and have now reached record-highs in each of the past two years. In King County from 2022 to 2024, homelessness has also increased 26%, according to the Point in Time Count.
The mayor’s office wrote that rental assistance has proven to be a cost-efficient solution to preventing homelessness and reducing the need for intensive crisis services later on.
“Rental assistance programs are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent homelessness before it starts. When families have an unexpected hardship, this short-term support can mean the entire difference between staying housed and entering a cycle of instability and trauma,” said Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Human Services, Labor & Economic Development.
Plan aims to help roughly 1,000 households a year stay in their homes
The RDP will direct funds toward people at immediate risk of losing their housing or people already facing eviction. One agency will be chosen to manage all client applications while Seattle prepares to create an online portal in 2027.
Wilson believes these strategies will support a “more coordinated and easier to access” homeless prevention framework that is expected to serve roughly 1,000 households per year.
“Rental assistance is vital for residents across our city to help people with stable housing,” said Tanya Kim, Director of the Seattle Human Services Department. “These resources from Seattle’s Human Services Department are a lifeline for families and individuals. Through partnerships with community-based pathways, information on how to access support will reach more people and help families to thrive.”
The RFP will fund the following three strategies:
- Aid households at immediate risk of homelessness: rental assistance and case management ($6.5 million)
- Help households currently facing eviction: legal services and rental assistance ($627,000)
- Manage a centralized application process: task one agency with managing applications, coordinating with providers, and connecting residents to assistance ($900,000)
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