📢 SIGN UP BELOW 📢

We recommend that each organization identify at least one senior leader, one Board member, multiple staff who provide services, and clients to speak up. 

Together, we'll make sure our City and County invest in vital services.

Coalition staff will support you with talking points, prep sessions, and be in person for Seattle public budget hearings (October 18 and November 13 in Seattle). 

Click here for our guide to public comment.

THANK YOU!  

🔔Updated 10/27/23 🔔

Essential Workers, Members, Friends, and Allies, 

Budget Chair Mosqueda, and Councilmembers Herbold, Lewis, Morales, and Strauss heard our message! They have proposed amendments that would:

✅ Add $2.2 million for 7.5% inflation adjustments to KCRHA CoC contracts (Mosqueda & Herbold, in balancing package)

✅ Improve the method for calculating the 2% wage increase so more money goes to providers (Mosqueda & Herbold, in balancing package)

✅ Add $500,000 to include 7.5% inflation adjustment and 2% wage adjustment for 16 programs funded with "one-time" funds for years (including over 300 shelter beds): CMs Lewis, Morales & Strauss Amendment HSD-002

✅ Add $360,000 to include 28 programs in the 2% wage adjustment (HUD CoC contracts now administered through KCRHA): CM Mosqueda Amendment HSD - 001

Take action now! Write to your councilmembers to urge them to vote for all these amendments, so that ALL homelessness service and housing providers get a fair inflation and a minimum wage adjustment!

Updated 10/11/23

Mayor Harrell has released his proposed 2024 budget. Now, the City Council is reviewing the budget. Here are some key points of the Mayor's proposed budget:

✅ The proposed budget includes 7.5% inflation adjustments (as required by Seattle law), and 2% provider wage increases to HSD contracts, as well as some human services contracts held by the Dept. of Education and Early Learning and the Dept. of Neighborhoods.

✅ Assumes KCRHA can use underspend to continue FLAT funding for 16 programs that have been funded with one-time dollars for four years, resulting in annual funding cliffs (no on-going support for these core programs).  

❌ It does not include the required 7.5 % inflation adjustments for 28 programs that receive HUD CoC funding (contracts held at Seattle HSD until last year, now administered at KCRHA), or 16 programs that had expiring one-time dollars (see above: level-funded from KCRHA underspend, without a wage or inflation adjustment). 

❌ It does not include a minimum 3.5% wage adjustment for human services providers, to reach 7% over two years as a beginning measure to correct for years of suppressed wages.

We are advocating for City Council to include the entire continuum of homelessness services for inflation and wage adjustments. Excluding groups of programs from these necessary increases further fragments the system, and perpetuates inadequate and inequitable resources for essential workers in our field.

We advocate for additional investments in essential workforce wages because only by stabilizing and strengthening the current system can we move to increase good services for more people.

Resources to help you understand the Seattle Budget:

• Mayor's proposed budget packet and summary

• Seattle's Budget Dashboard

• Seattle's Budget Process

our budget priorities

• Increase Seattle, King County, and KCRHA contracts to keep up with inflation and the cost of providing quality services. Seattle law requires the city to increase all HSD contracts with inflation. However, that law doesn't include KCRHA CoC contracts, or homelessness services contracts held by other city agencies. Seattle and King County need to make sure ALL contracts keep up with inflation.

• Ensure no loss of capacity in our homelessness crisis response system. Maintain funding for 18 programs at risk of losing a total of $8 million. Over 300 shelter beds are at risk. We cannot afford to lose ANY capacity in homelessness services. 

• Increase human services wages by at least 3.5% in 2024, IN ADDITION to contract inflation adjustments. The authors of a UW study on wage equity found that Human Services workers are paid significantly less than their peers in other sectors, and recommended at least a 7% increase to human services wages by 2025 to help keep talent in the sector. This year, Seattle City Council passed a resolution expressing their "intent to consider increasing human services contracts to support wage equity". 

We need more affordable homes, quality shelter, and access to supports and services, but putting them into budgets won't do any good if there are no staff to operate them. People who work in supportive housing, health care, and outreach; social workers, janitors, and case managers; folks who care for children and keep shelter doors open are essential workers. 

Essential workers need to pay rent and buy groceries. Keeping up with inflation is the bare minimum necessary to stabilize this workforce. Indeed, all these workers need raises. Too many of the folks who keep our communities sheltered, housed, safe, and well are struggling themselves. 

We can't make progress when the core workforce is already decimated. 

SIGN UP and spread the word. We need to be heard at EVERY meeting. See below for more details on how to take action.

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Last year, we all fought for a real inflation adjustment, and WE WON! Thanks to our collective advocacy and leadership from councilmembers, the final Seattle budget included a 7.6% inflation adjustment for human services contracts.  

Take action

Your voice is critical to win a budget that respects essential workers, and provides real support to people experiencing homelessness. This fall, your voice is especially important, since both Seattle and King County will see reduced General Fund revenue, and cuts are anticipated. 

Ways you can engage:

📢 Sign up to give public testimony (in person OR remotely) at Seattle and King County budget hearings or committee meetings. Fill our our survey, and check out the calendar below. 

Check out our technical guide to public comment, and tips for crafting your effective message.

✏️ Email your city and county elected officials (you can find your district for Seattle here, and King County here). If you work in King County and live in a different county, you can still engage with the King County budget process. Make sure to tell councilmembers that you work in their city/county.    

🔔 Respond to and share Coalition action alerts: Sign up for action alerts here.

Key Budget Dates

Click on a calendar event below for sign up links. Sign up for Seattle committees opens 2 hours before the meeting starts.