Human Interests Blog Human Services

Human Interests

Seattle Human Services news and events

Seattle.gov redesigned to improve access to services

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The City of Seattle’s main Web site has been redesigned to improve public access to City services. See www.seattle.gov. Upgrades include

  • Streamlining the interface to five portals, instead of nine;
  • Improving access to information based on feedback from the first Seattle.Gov usability study ever done;
  • An increased social media presence;
  • More direct access to the most used city Web pages.

The focus of the redesign was to simplify access to city services online.  The City web site includes more than 150,000 pages, the top 700 of which are linked to five main portals: Business in Seattle, Living in Seattle, Visiting Seattle, City Services, and City Departments.  There are now 23 percent fewer links on the homepage – down 24 from 106.

For more information click here.

New Seattle Foundation Web Site – the Giving Center

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The Seattle Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community foundations, recently launched a new Web site, the Giving Center.   The site provides information for prospective donors on 675 nonprofits doing a wide range of work. Financial and evaluation information is included for each organization described. Launch of the site was covered in the Seattle Times and New York Times.

New Web site tracks federal stimulus spending

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Mayor Mike McGinn recently announced the launch of a new City Web site to track how federal stimulus money are used in Seattle. The Web site, recovery.seattle.gov, shows how the city is using money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in seven investment areas: economic development, community development, social services, public safety, environment, energy, and transportation. So far, Seattle has received about $107 million through ARRA. Stimulus dollars directly benefit local businesses and nonprofits throughout the entire city.

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law as a direct response to the nation’s deepening economic crisis. The Recovery Act represents a $787 billion funding package that includes direct funding, tax cuts and tax benefits. The Recovery Act has three immediate goals:

  • Create new jobs and save existing ones
  • Spur economic activity and invest in long-term growth
  • Foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending