By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The City of Seattle will invest approximately $8 million in homelessness prevention services in 2027 to help residents avoid eviction and remain housed, city officials announced this week.
The funding, announced through a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), will support rental assistance, eviction prevention, legal services, case management and a centralized application process designed to make it easier for residents to access assistance.
“When residents are able to remain in their homes and communities, we reduce the risk of homelessness before it occurs,” said Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. “This investment will promote housing stability and help Seattle residents remain in the neighborhoods they call home.”
City officials said the investment comes as both evictions and homelessness continue to rise. Since the pandemic, eviction filings have reached record highs during each of the past two years. According to King County’s Point-in-Time Count, homelessness increased 26% between 2022 and 2024.
Research has consistently shown that rental assistance is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to prevent homelessness by helping households remain stable before a housing crisis occurs.
“Rental assistance programs are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent homelessness before it starts. When families have an unexpected hardship, this short-term support can mean the entire difference between staying housed and entering a cycle of instability and trauma,” said Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, chair of the City Council’s Human Services, Labor and Economic Development Committee.
Seattle Human Services Department Director Tanya Kim said expanding access to homelessness prevention services has become increasingly important as housing costs continue to rise and more households struggle to remain financially stable.
“Rental assistance is a proven and cost-effective way to prevent Seattle residents from becoming homeless, decreasing the likelihood that someone will need more intensive crisis services later,” said Kim. “With the rise, there is an urgent need to address the underlying causes and prevent this data trend from continuing.”
The funding will support three strategies designed to keep residents housed, assist tenants already facing eviction and simplify access to services through a centralized application process. City officials estimate the coordinated system will serve approximately 1,000 households each year.
The RFP will provide funding for:
• Helping households at immediate risk of homelessness: Rental assistance and case management ($6.5 million)
• Helping households already facing eviction: Legal services and rental assistance ($627,000)
• Managing a centralized application process: One agency will oversee applications, coordinate with service providers and connect residents with rental assistance (approximately $900,000)
Kim said many households can quickly fall behind on rent because of unexpected financial setbacks such as job loss, medical expenses or rising housing costs.
“Far too many households, particularly those with low incomes, are at risk of losing their housing due to sudden financial shocks, such as job loss, medical expenses, or rent increases,” said Kim. “Homelessness prevention programming offers relief for these households. Once a person loses housing, it’s very difficult to escape the cycle of homelessness and return to long-term stability. Prevention is a way to stop this cycle before it starts.”
City officials said they expect the expanded homelessness prevention system to create a coordinated network of providers offering financial assistance, legal services and case management while making it easier for residents to access support through a centralized application process. The initiative will prioritize serving Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC), along with youth and young adults, older adults, immigrants and refugees, families with children under 18, and survivors of gender-based violence.
