SEATTLE (July 13, 2016) – Mayor Ed Murray today recognized the top supporters of his Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative, which connects Seattle youth ages 14-24 with paid internships and employment opportunities.

The mayor thanked the Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines, Goodwill, Swedish Medical Center, JPMorgan Chase, AT&T and Starbucks for their support of the initiative, which ranges from hosting interns to donating funds to support wages for youth placed at other organizations. These businesses and organizations represent the various ways employers can support Seattle’s youth, through financial contributions to support jobs and through internship programs.

“In a city with so much economic growth and opportunity, we can’t leave Seattle’s young people behind,” said Murray. “By providing opportunities to Seattle’s youth, employers are changing lives. I want to thank those who have stepped forward and challenge more companies and organizations to get involved. The need is still great.”

At 12%, youth unemployment is almost four times the city’s overall rate, according to the latest data from the 2014 American Community Survey. For low‐income youth, young people of color, and youth who aren’t in school the unemployment rate is as high as 28%.

To address Seattle’s high youth unemployment rate, Mayor Murray launched the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative in 2015 to build career pathways for Seattle’s youth.  Backed by financial support from JPMorgan Chase and building on decades of success of the Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP), the 2015 initiative connected more than 2,000 youth with life-changing internship opportunities. This year, the City has enlisted Educurious to help connect more youth with meaningful employment throughout the year.

“JPMorgan Chase is proud to work with Mayor Murray, the City of Seattle and Educurious to help prepare our youth for the future,” said PNW Chairman for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Phyllis Campbell. “One of the most urgent challenges we face is the need for more inclusive economic opportunity—we know that helping young people gain early work experience and build job skills is a powerful strategy for promoting economic mobility. That’s why we’ve been at the forefront of expanding high-quality youth employment initiatives— investing $6 million in 15 cities across the country including $600,000 in Seattle.”

Out of the 150 participating employers (not including the City of Seattle), the Port of Seattle is employing the largest number of youth, with nearly 100 interns this summer alone. As part of its commitment to the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative, the Port increased its number of high school interns nearly tenfold, worked with manufacturing partners and Seattle Public Schools to support career exploration, and is investing in interns’ long-term success through résumé workshops and other career development opportunities.

“The Port of Seattle Commission approved $400,000 this week to strengthen training curriculums in local schools to better prepare students for technical and industrial jobs,” said Commissioner Stephanie Bowman.  “It’s a top Commission priority to increase awareness about the opportunities in the maritime and aviation industries, to strengthen the middle class here in Seattle.”

“Swedish is very honored and proud to partner with Mayor Murray and other participating organizations to provide students in our community with opportunities that we hope will make a significant and positive difference in their futures,” said Swedish’s Chief Human Resources Officer Naren Balasubramaniam. “Our goal is to invest in these students through time and mentorship so that they build work and life experience and learn firsthand about healthcare and hospital operations. The SYEP program is an important way for us as an organization to live our commitment to caring for our communities and improving the health of our region beyond normal patient care.”

“At Alaska Airlines we are committed to youth in the state of Washington and believe that programs like the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative, open up possibilities and allows our future work force to gain valuable work experience. It helps to remove barriers for young people to imagine their future and all the opportunities that come with meaningful employment,” said Tammy Young, vice president of human resources.  “We’re thrilled to work closely with the 10 high school students we have on-site with us this summer – they bring so much energy and we’re learning from each other!”

“As an organization whose mission is to prepare people for employment, it makes perfect sense for Seattle Goodwill to host summer youth interns and expose them to a variety of work experiences in a non-profit setting.  By making their internships meaningful and rewarding Goodwill will help these young people establish a positive foundation for many career opportunities that they will have in their lifetime,” Daryl Campbell, President and CEO, Seattle Goodwill said.

AT&T committed this week to a $10,000 contribution to support jobs for young people in Seattle.

“Through our own internship program at AT&T, we have seen how training programs and opportunities to work on real-world projects can launch a young person’s career.  We are honored to be a part of Mayor Murray’s Youth Employment Initiative which will unlock the potential of so many young Seattleites,”  Bob Bass, President, External and Legislative Affairs, AT&T Washington.

Together with local employers, the City and has connected 2,000 youth with employment opportunities so far this year through the Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative. The program has also helped fill a need for employers who need to fill the employee pipeline.

Even with the apparent success of the initiative, however, the demand for youth employment in Seattle is not being met. For example, less than half of the 1,600 youth who were eligible for a position have been able to be placed in positions.

If the City secures an additional $1.1 million in a combination of paid internships and donations, 400 more young people will be able to access employment opportunities that will have a lasting impact on their self-esteem, job readiness, and economic mobility.

“Seattle’s young people are eager to work. If more companies don’t step up to support youth employment this year, we’ll be forced to turn away hundreds of qualified youth,” added Murray.

To learn more and register your organization to participate in the initiative, visit murray.seattle.gov/youthjobs.

(Seattle, WA) Today, Mayor Ed Murray announced that a new mobile medical clinic begins operations this month to help address the Homeless State of Emergency, offering better access to medical, mental health and chemical dependency services at various sites around Seattle.  The Mayor was joined by Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health-Seattle & King County at today’s service location at St. John United Lutheran Church in the Seattle’s Phinney neighborhood.

The new van – which resembles a giant RV with a splash of sunshine painted on the outside – complements an existing mobile medical van that operates in South and East King County.  It makes daily scheduled visits to food banks, tent cities, social service agencies and other locations, where clients can receive walk-in medical care.

“As we continue to address the city’s homelessness crisis, we know there is not one answer, but many as we try to help those who are most vulnerable,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “This mobile medical van will enable us to deliver critical health care to those in need and serve as an entry point to long-term support services and permanent housing.”

“This mobile medical unit will connect more people to treatment for an illness or injury – an important first step toward helping them transition to safe, stable housing,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “By providing immediate assistance where people are today, we’re able to deliver the best results.”

“The most effective way to treat people is to meet them where they are, which is why I’m so excited to see the Mobile Medical Clinic deployed to help those in our unsheltered population,” said Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.  “While someone is getting treated for a broken bone, toothache, or even diabetes, staff in the Mobile Medical Clinic can help connect patients with long term care options, shelter, and case management.  This is truly a one-stop-shop.”

Inside the mobile clinic, clients can get assistance from a physician, nurse, chemical dependency professional, and mental health case manager. In addition to providing services onsite, staff will arrange for additional treatment at a community provider, and when needed, escort the client on an initial visit.

The van makes scheduled visits to various meal programs and community sites around Seattle.  At each location, a partner agency helps inform and refer people about the care they can receive on the mobile medical clinic.

For many people living homeless, day-to-day life is organized around basic survival issues such as food, shelter, and personal safety that often take priority over managing their health. The overall goal of the mobile medical program is to address these competing priorities by traveling to locations where people experiencing homelessness can immediately access patient-centered care and case management services.

The annual operating cost for the van will be approximately $700,000.  This includes personnel, pharmaceuticals and supplies, operating and maintenance and administrative expenses. The City of Seattle has contributed $500,000 in State of Emergency funds towards the van’s annual operating costs with the remaining funding coming from patient generated revenue, (billing for covered services), and ongoing Federal funds.

The Seattle Human Services Department is one of the largest contributors to Seattle’s safety net. HSD provides $89 million in funding through 400 contracts to nearly 200 agencies supporting Seattle’s most vulnerable residents each year.  The department works closely with its community partners, including other public and nonprofit funders and service providers, to understand current and emerging human service needs, and to create and invest in a comprehensive and integrated regional human services system.

Providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services for more than two million residents and visitors of King County, Public Health — Seattle & King County works for safer and healthier communities for everyone, every day. More at www.kingcounty.gov/health 

 

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Thousands of Seattle children ages 1 through 18 will enjoy free breakfasts and lunches this summer through the Seattle Human Services Department’s Summer Food Service Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded program, formerly known as “Summer Sack Lunch,” is open to children at qualifying sites. From June 29 through August 26, 2016 the meals will be served at approximately 100 sites across the city—including designated community centers, Seattle park playgrounds, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and other community sites throughout Seattle and parts of King County.

Meals open to public: The majority of sites will offer meals to the public and all children 18 years old and younger can come to have a meal.

Meals for children enrolled in programs: Some of the meal sites (about 30) offer the food program to children enrolled in specific activity programs, where free meals will be served to all children enrolled in the program.

To enroll families who qualify at or below the levels in the following table are encouraged to apply on the Summer Food Service website.

Household Size	Yearly Income	Monthly Income	Twice Per Month	Every Two Weeks	Weekly Income
1	$21,775	$1,850	$908	$838	$419
2	29,471	2,456	1,228	1,134	567
3	37,167	3,098	1,549	1,430	715
4	44,863	3,739	1,870	1,726	863
5	52,559	4,380	2,190	2,022	1,011
6	60,225	5,022	2,511	2,318	1,159
7	67,951	5,663	2,832	2,614	1,307
8	75,647	6,304	3,152	2,910	1,455
For each additional family member:	+7,696	+642	+321	+296	+148

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; fax: (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov.

For a complete list of sites and hours for the Summer Food Service Program, you can call 206-386-1140 or visit www.seattle.gov/summerfood.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 

The Seattle Human Services Department is one of the largest contributors to Seattle’s safety net as it provides $99 million in funding through 522 contracts to nearly 200 agencies that support Seattle’s most vulnerable residents each year.  The department works closely with its community partners, including other public and nonprofit funders and service providers, to understand current and emerging human service needs, and to create and invest in a comprehensive and integrated regional human services system.

Executive Order pursues replicating a new low-barrier comprehensive service center based on proven San Francisco model

SEATTLE (June 9, 2016) – Mayor Edward Murray took action through Executive Order today directing the creation of a low-barrier, one-stop service center for individuals without shelter to receive the customized support they need to move from the streets back into permanent homes.

“Our strategy for helping people without shelter has to be broader than designating another site in the city to pitch a tent,” said Murray.

The service center will be modeled on the San Francisco Navigation Center, the first of its kind, dormitory-style living facility that provides people living outside with shower, bathroom, laundry and dining facilities, a place to store their belongings, as well as round-the-clock case management, mental and behavioral health services, and connections to benefit programs and housing, all in one location. This facility will prioritize placement for individuals who are currently unsheltered and offer them a secure place to stay and access additional supports in a 24/7 program.

The San Francisco Navigation Center prioritizes serving people from geographic areas with extraordinary public health and public safety challenges, places like Seattle’s I-5 East Duwamish Greenbelt. One of the reasons it is effective is because the model enables organic groups or communities that have formed in specific geographic areas to stay together and transition to the Navigation Center.

Murray visited with people living under I-5 yesterday. Pictures can be found here.

The center will be particularly suited to people with partners, pets or possessions who choose to stay in encampments rather than shelters, where partners, pets or possessions are not typically allowed. It will serve up to 75 people at a time.

The center will be funded in part by $600,000 secured by the City in the state capital budget in the 2016 legislative session. The City is matching this state appropriation with a private donation of $600,000 earmarked for homelessness services, and will establish a designated fund to collect additional private donations to support the center.

In March of this year, Murray visited the San Francisco Navigation Center with City Councilmember Tim Burgess and staff from the City of Seattle, King County, and All Home King County to learn about this emerging practice and how the model might be replicated in Seattle. This visit was followed by a second delegation that included Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

“Every single person living in an encampment has their own story, their own dignity and their own set of reasons for how they got where they are,” said Murray. “These reasons are often incredibly complicated and incredibly difficult, and we have to address these reasons at a very personal level in order to make a meaningful difference. This kind of comprehensive, person-centered approach has been used successfully in San Francisco to help people move from the streets back into permanent homes. We want to duplicate that success here.”

Murray’s Executive Order establishes a public-private partnership workgroup convened by Department of Human Services Director Catherine Lester to develop a proposal for and help implement a replication of the San Francisco model in Seattle. This workgroup will include representatives from All Home, philanthropy and nonprofit partners with expertise in delivering effective housing and services to individuals who are homeless.

This workgroup will also coordinate closely with King County and other regional partners to provide technical assistance or coordination should other jurisdictions be interested in replicating San Francisco’s model in their respective jurisdictions to address the regional problem of homelessness. The workgroup will deliver its proposal to the Mayor within 60 days and the Human Services Department will then issue a request for proposal 30 days later, with a goal of successfully launching the service center by December 31, 2016.

Murray said the people-centered model of supporting those living outside should be reflected in our citywide conversation, as well.

“We talk a lot about the homeless in aggregate,” said Murray. “What we too often do not discuss are individuals, the thousands of our fellow human beings living among us a without a roof over their head or many of their most basic needs being met. Their situations are unlikely to improve if – rather than seeing them as they are, as individuals – all we see is an abstract concept called homelessness. We can only make progress one person at a time.”

By the numbers:

• On any given night in Seattle, 2,942 individuals are living unsheltered in our community as of the 2016 One Night Count.
• The Human Services Department is spending nearly $50 million this year to assist single adults, youth, young adults, and families, survivors of domestic violence, older adults and veterans who are currently or at risk of becoming homeless.
• This includes $7.3 million in one-time funds dedicated through the State of Emergency declared by Mayor Murray in November 2015, which funds 242 additional shelter beds; addresses encampments with outreach, cleanups, storage, referrals to chemical dependency and mental health beds; and sets aside shelter beds.

 

SEATTLE (June 8, 2016) – The City of Seattle today announced three awards totaling $2 million to promote capital improvements in Seattle’s network of community health care facilities. Following a competitive funding process, NeighborCare Health, Country Doctor Community Health Centers and International Community Health Services were selected as recipients.

“I applaud the work of our community health providers to improve the well-being of our most vulnerable residents and families,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, thousands more of Seattle residents have health care coverage, and now it’s our turn as a City to help expand local access to these critical health services.”

Following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, more than 84,000 newly insured Seattle and King County residents enrolled in health care coverage—many of whom are now covered by Medicaid. The unprecedented demand for health care services required significant investment from the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) to help our community health care facilities expand and meet this new need.

“Despite the gains made by the Affordable Care Act, we know that many of our neighbors lack the medical care to meet basic everyday health needs,” said Catherine Lester, Seattle Human Services Department Director. “Access to quality, affordable and reliable community healthcare is fundamental preventing catastrophic health events that often send vulnerable individuals and families into poverty.”

HSD will fund more than $1.2 million to Country Doctor Community Health Centers to renovate their Capitol Hill site to provide low-barrier dental care to Medicaid recipients and lower-income individuals.

NeighborCare Health was awarded more than $400,000 to create a health care center inside the Dutch Shisler Service Center, providing wraparound services for people who are homeless and vulnerable.

International Community Health Services will receive $350,000 in funding to build an optometry clinic in the International District, which will serve lower-income populations with culturally and linguistically appropriate eye care services. Over 80 percent of Asian-Americans suffer from myopia, yet there are only eight optometrists in Seattle that accept Medicaid patients.

All funding recipients are Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Today the Human Services Department updated the department policy regarding indirect costs. Indirect costs refers to the indirect rate for subcontractors. This policy places a fifteen percent (15%) cap on reimbursement for agency indirect costs. The 15% indirect total is calculated by first dividing the contract total dollars by 1.15, which results in the direct total.  Second, multiply 15% indirect rate on the direct total which yields the indirect total for a contract.

Total Contracts Budget / 1.15 = Direct Total

15% indirect rate X Direct Total = Indirect Total

To establish this policy the department conducted research on indirect contracting practices regionally–including the indirect cost policy at the State Auditor’s Office, City departments and other jurisdictions.

See the full policy here.

SEATTLE (May 17, 2016) – Mayor Ed Murray and Governor Jay Inslee are initiating next steps to improve public safety and public health in the area under I-5 and in the East Duwamish Greenbelt along the freeway in South Seattle.

“Seattle and the State of Washington will work together to address decades-old safety and public health issues under I-5,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “Through a combination of outreach and services, as well as better access for first responders, we hope to transition those currently living in tents under the freeway into stable shelter, while supporting public safety in the area.”

“This is a person-centered approach with the necessary supports to shift people into more stable housing,” Inslee said. “I am pleased that the city of Seattle, King County, and the state are working together to assist those in need. The issues with the I-5 green belt are symptomatic of larger problems that we are working on with communities and partners around the state to alleviate homelessness for children, veterans, low-income workers and those with substance abuse or mental health issues.”

The City and State will take steps to: (1) transition people living in unsanctioned encampments under the freeway with meaningful offers of shelter and services; (2) clean up major health hazards, including human waste and garbage, and remove overgrown brush and other fire hazards; (3) improve access to the area for first responders and maintenance workers; and (4) engage a design consultant to make recommendations for deterring entry in dangerous locations and provide positive activation of other public areas.

Outreach teams from Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission will work for several weeks to build relationships with current occupants and offer outreach with offers of shelter and individualized services: case management, addiction treatment, housing assistance, food assistance and medical services. Mission will not be accepting funds from the City or State for outreach activities, but those contacted will have access to publicly funded shelter space, motel vouchers and travel assistance, as appropriate.

“We are encouraged to see the City and State address one of the most problematic areas in our community and look forward to partnering with them in this work,” said Jeff Lilley, president of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.  “We know many of these people by name and their unique situations. Whether someone struggles with mental illness, is in need of recovery services, qualifies for veteran’s aid, or has other challenges, we will connect them to social service providers who can best offer the help they need.”

After people have left the unsanctioned encampments, public health hazards, debris, overgrown brush, and fire hazards under the freeway will be removed by Departments of Transportation (WSDOT) and Corrections (DOC). Seattle Parks and Recreation will remove overgrown vegetation and debris from the greenbelt hillside above the freeway.

WSDOT will enhance and maintain the existing gravel roads that run alongside the freeway to improve access by first responders, maintenance workers and outreach teams.

Washington State’s 2016 Supplemental Transportation Budget allocated $1 million which will be used in all steps of the plan. Funding for outreach and services, as well as removing overgrown brush from the greenbelt, will be absorbed within existing City funding in 2016.

The City of Seattle will hire an independent consultant to engage the Seattle City Council and a diverse group of stakeholders within local government and the community to identify and recommend options for access management and future uses. The goal of access management is to allow maintenance crews and law enforcement to better serve the area, not to create an impenetrable barrier or fence. The consultant will also identify and recommend potential long-term activation strategies in areas where the space under the interstate allows for alternate uses. The state, county and city will review the final report and jointly agree on a path forward.

Seattle will spend nearly $50 million this year providing outreach, services and shelter for those experiencing homelessness, including $7 million approved following the mayor’s declaration of a State of Emergency.

On January 26, 2016, five people were shot and three killed under the freeway. Ajoint assessment of the area was led by Seattle Fire Chief Harold D. Scoggins. Participating agencies from the City of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington included WSDOT, Seattle Human Services Department, Public Health – Seattle & King County and other partners.

The Human Services Department is pleased to announce that as a result of the Medicaid Case Management RFQ Neighborhood House and Lifelong have been deemed elgibile to perform the required case management work. The goal of this investment is to address an anticipated service gap for clients residing in East King County and to increase capacity throughout the system to address the needs of an increasingly diverse client population, specifically clients from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and East Africa. These agencies will begin work starting July 1st, 2016.

Earlier this year the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) announced that it was seeking applications from agencies interested in providing Medicaid Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS) Case Management for eligible clients in King County through a Request for Qualification (RFQ).

HSD continues its effort to institute performance-based investments and uses data to steer the department’s resources to nonprofits who demonstrate their ability to serve the community’s most in need. HSD seeks to ensure the City’s finite resources are being directed to programs that can best leverage the investments for maximum impact on reducing disparities.

The Seattle Human Services Department is one of the largest contributors to Seattle’s safety net as it provides $89 million in funding through 450 contracts to nearly 200 agencies that support Seattle’s most vulnerable residents each year. The department works closely with its community partners, including other public and nonprofit funders and service providers, to understand current and emerging human service needs, and to create and invest in a comprehensive and integrated regional human services system.

SEATTLE (May 4, 2016) – Today Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) Director Andrew Lofton announced proposed changes to the Utility Discount Program (UDP) to auto-enroll more than 10,000 low-income Seattle Housing Authority households. Today’s announcement puts the City on track to surpass the Mayor’s goal to double program enrollment two years ahead of schedule.

“As Seattle’s economy continues to grow, we know that economic gains have not reached all our neighbors. Too many families are still struggling to meet basic needs,” said Murray.  “This partnership with the Seattle Housing Authority will cut utility bills in half for financially strapped residents so they can manage their utility costs on tight budgets.”

“The majority of people we serve at the Seattle Housing Authority are in the very lowest income segment,” said Lofton. “The extension of the City’s Utility Discount Program to our residents and voucher tenants will make a tremendous difference in their ability to pay for basic utilities and still afford food, medications and other necessities.”

Once auto-enrollment is complete, the UDP will provide more than $10 million in utility assistance each year to SHA tenants. This will cut in half their Seattle electric, water, garbage/recycling, sewage and drainage bills. The average household benefit will be $1,030 per year.

This move is a part of Murray’s commitment to address Seattle’s growing income inequality and remove institutional barriers between services and those in need. In 2014, Mayor Murray challenged City Departments to double the number of households enrolled in the UDP from 14,000 to 28,000 by the end of 2018.

“I would like to thank SHA for providing a place to stay and the Mayor for giving those of us living in subsidized housing the opportunity to participate in the Utility Discount Program,” said Ed Frezier, a resident at Rainier Vista in South Seattle. “I am on disability and have a limited income. After I pay my bills, the lights, phone, water, there’s nothing left.  This will leave me with a few dollars to buy groceries and whatever else is needed. It’s a blessing.”

After legislation to enact today’s proposal is approved by the Seattle City Council, all income-eligible households of Seattle Housing Authority will be notified that they have been auto-enrolled in the Utility Discount Program, beginning August 1, 2016. All households will have the opportunity to opt out of the Utility Discount Program if they prefer. The Council will take up this proposal this spring. Current City ordinances prevent SHA tenants from participating in the program.

The Utility Discount Program offers a credit of 60 percent on Seattle City Light bills and 50 percent on Seattle Public Utilities bills. This program is available for residential City Light and Seattle Public Utilities customers only and does not apply to residences used for business purposes. Eligible households must have income of less than 70 percent of state median household income, about $60,000 for a family of four.

Today’s expansion of the UDP to SHA tenants is paid for by all utility customers. The average Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities bill will increase between 0.5 percent and 0.65 percent in coming years.

“This auto-enrollment program change supports people in need and minimizes bureaucracy.  This is truly government at its best,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who represents the West Seattle and South Park communities.  “Thousands of low-income Seattleites will no longer need to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.  I’m fully committed to expanding access to the UDP program even further.”

“Having light, heat, and water are basic needs that every resident should have,” said Council President Bruce Harrell. “As a compassionate City, we have demonstrated our commitment to helping our residents by continually improving one of the strongest utility discount programs in the nation.”

“I have strenuously advocated for auto-enrollment into the Utility Discount Program. Studies show auto-enrollment results in systematically greater access,” said Councilmember Kshama Sawant, chair of the Energy and Environment Committee. “I am grateful to Kelly Enright at Seattle City Light for tirelessly working on this. Even after this step, there will still be thousands of others who will need to be enrolled, and I look forward to continue working with City Light and the Mayor’s office.”

This program expansion builds upon a partnership with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to auto-enroll eligible households of other affordable housing projects, reducing administrative barriers to utility discount services.

Ray Hoffman, Seattle Public Utilities Director, Larry Weis, Seattle City Light General Manager and CEO, and Catherine Lester, Human Services Department Director, were also in attendance at today’s event.

The UDP program is funded by both Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities and is administered by the Seattle Human Services Department. Utility Discount Program eligibility information and application materials can be found here.

The Human Services Department announced today that it will make $842,000 available to fund youth development and educational support programming for youth who may otherwise be unsupervised. The Human Services Department is seeking applications from agencies interested in providing youth development and/or educational support for youth of color, McKinney Vento homeless students, immigrant/refugee youth, and low-income youth.

According to the Afterschool Alliance, each day 11.3 million school-age children in the United States are left home alone and unsupervised between 3 and 6pm. Youth development and educational support programming is an early prevention tool that provides at-risk youth constructive alternatives during out-of-school time. The Human Services Department funding is intended to create a safe and educational space to foster social connections, learn new skills, and provide support.

Six to eight proposals will be granted funding. The application deadline for this award is June 7, 2016 by 12:00 p.m.

Agencies interested in learning more about this funding opportunity are encouraged to attend one of the two following information sessions:

Tuesday, May 10^th, 2016
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Columbia Branch Public Library, Meeting Room
4721 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

Or; Thursday, May 12^th, 2016
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Highpoint Branch Public Library Meeting Room
3411 SW Raymond Street, Seattle WA 98126

Please see the Human Services Department Funding Opportunities page for more information.