SHSC Member Coalition Recommendations to Restore One-Time Funding For Critical Services
Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence
The Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence recommends ongoing funding in the amount of $250,000 towards the evidence-based model of survivor-driven, mobile advocacy with flexible financial assistance.
The need for survivor-driven, mobile advocacy for survivors in this city is greater than ever. Additionally, there were significant gaps created in the city-wide GBV service delivery system from the 2022 GBV Survivor Services Request for Proposals. This resulted in several culturally specific programs receiving drastically reduced and, in some cases, no city funding at all to support their work with some of our most marginalized survivors in Seattle, such as survivors from the Deaf, Latinx, and BIPOC community.
When survivors find the courage to reach out, they need immediate advocacy designed to support their self-determination and unique safety needs. We recommend ongoing funding in the amount of $250,000 towards survivor-driven mobile advocacy with flexible financial assistance as a small step towards addressing the needs faced by survivors of gender-based violence and the programs that support them.
For more information on this recommendation, contact: Amarinthia Torres, Co-Executive Director, Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence 206-568-5454, amarinthia@endgv.org
King County Services for Seniors Coalition
The King County Senior Coalition is recommending renewing funding for senior meal delivery services in the amount of $142,000.
During the pandemic, senior serving programs transitioned from in-person dining to providing delivery and to-go meals. This allowed us to extend crucial nutrition services to seniors who face barriers to accessing food at our senior centers. The funding provided by the City of Seattle in 2022 and 2023 for senior meal delivery gave us an opportunity to provide food to seniors who otherwise struggle to meet their basic nutritional needs.
These investments need to be extended into 2024 to ensure no one, regardless of age or mobility, has to go hungry in this great city. We plan to utilize these investments to formalize a hybrid program – providing both in-person dining with deliveries and to-go meals – to best meet the needs of seniors across the city.
For questions, contact Amy Lee Derenthal, Executive Director of the Senior Center of West Seattle at 206-932-4044 or amyleed@soundgenerations.org OR Vedrana Durakovic, Community Engagement Officer with Sound Generations at vedranad@soundgenerations.org.
Meals Partnership Coalition
The Meals Partnership Coalition (MPC) requests a one-time investment of $300,000 for food and operational costs for meal providers.
This investment will help meal providers keep their doors open and reduce further stress on an already strained system. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, meal providers adapted to serve over 6,000,000 nutritious free meals to people experiencing food insecurity and hunger in Seattle. In the last two years, over $4,000,000 of City funds were cut from the meal system.
There has been no reduction in the community's need for meal support. As critical funding has been reduced or discontinued entirely, meal providers have continued to sustain over 5,000,000 meals each year, and although the most severe impacts of the pandemic have subsided, more people experience food insecurity and hunger in Seattle every year.
For questions contact: Brian Taintor, Program Manager at Meals Partnership Coalition at brian@mealspartnership.org OR Emily Penna, Sr. Manager of Food Security Initiatives at FareStart at Emily.Penna@farestart.org
Seattle Food Committee
The Seattle Food Committee is recommending renewing the emergency food fund in the amount of $650,000. The City Council added a one-time General Fund investment of $650,000 in 2023 to establish an emergency food fund to support neighborhood-based, culturally informed food banks. These funds were used to support food banks with existing city contracts as well as approximately $200K in funds that were distributed via Solid Ground to food banks that did not already have city contracts.
Seattle area Food Banks continue to see increased numbers of families visiting food banks. Inflation, supply chain issues, and reduced food donations continue to challenge food banks. Families are also being impacted by inflation, increased cost of living, while also experiencing reduced benefit programs such as the roll-back of SNAP benefits early in 2023.
Renewing the $650,000 emergency food fund would help mitigate increased costs and demand that Seattle area food banks are experiencing. For questions contact: Marcia Wright-Soika, Executive Director with Family Works at 206-647-1785 or marciaws@familyworksseattle.org; Joe Gruber, Executive Director with University District Food Bank; OR Jen Muzia, Executive Director with Ballard Food Bank 253-372-8657 or jenm@ballardfoodbank.org.
Seattle / King County Coalition on Homelessness
Thanks to our collective advocacy, and the leadership of Councilmembers Mosqueda, Herbold, and Lewis, we've added over $2.7 million in budget amendments for homelessness services for the Council to discuss! We need to make sure those amendments pass so there are no cuts to services in 2024. On top of those amendments, we still need the Council to add $358,000 to add a 2% wage increase to KCRHA Continuum of Care contracts.
Tell Seattle City Council:
PASS Councilmember Mosqueda & Herbold's amendments to add $1.9 million for a 7.5% inflation adjustment to KCRHA Continuum of Care contracts, and add $324,000 to improve the calculation of the 2% wage increase, so more money goes to providers.
PASS Councilmembers Lewis, Morales, and Strauss' amendment to add $500,000 for a 7.5% inflation adjustment and 2% wage increase to programs (including 300+ shelter beds) that have been funded with "one-time" funds for years.
ADD $358,000 for a 2% wage increase for KCRHA Continuum of Care contracts.
