Local advocacy matters now, more than ever!

In these most uncertain and fearful times, it is crucial we redouble our efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our community. Thanks to our ongoing collective advocacy, city councilmembers have proposed budget amendments that (if approved) would:

  • Help Seattle residents stay housed and prevent homelessness by adding $1.9M to double rental assistance and $800K to help tenants get the supports they need to remain in their homes. Read this excellent Seattle Times op-ed about the huge benefits of funding tenant services, eviction prevention, and rental assistance.
  • Help people experiencing homelessness access legal assistance to get essential public benefits and other resources.
Raising the bar even higher on this year's budget challenges, the mayor has proposed legislation that would permanently throw out the spending plan that requires Jumpstart funds to be spent on housing, equitable development, and the green new deal. This would effectively turn Jumpstart into a massive slush fund for the city. These investments were very thoughtfully planned and are essential to our community, we need to defend them together!

WHAT YOU CAN DO
  1. Email your councilmembers, select Start Writing. This only takes a couple of minutes.
  2. Join us at City Hall tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12th, to speak at the 5PM public hearing and be part of our coalition-wide budget rally. (A large crowd is expected, so plan to come early if you are able!) You can also make your comments remotely, by phone.