On Weds., Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a groundbreaking initiative aimed at providing substantial financial relief to families. The new program, called CiviForm, has streamlined the application process for City discount programs, resulting in time savings of up to 80% and the potential for total savings of $23,000 per year for eligible households. The initiative underscores Mayor Harrell’s commitment to ensuring accessible benefit and discount programs for all residents.
CiviForm, a user-friendly online portal accessible at seattle.gov/affordable, allows residents to easily and swiftly apply for a range of City of Seattle benefits and discount programs. The tool, developed through collaboration between the City of Seattle’s Innovation and Performance team, the Seattle Information Technology Department, and pro-bono support from Google.org Fellows, aims to simplify the application process and cater to the specific needs of the community.
Mayor Harrell emphasized the positive impact of CiviForm, stating,
“CiviForm is a game changer for our communities,” says Harrell. “This exciting initiative and new technology are already making a meaningful difference in supporting Seattle residents, helping them save time, save money, and access the resources and programs they need.”
In its pilot year, CiviForm demonstrated remarkable success by reducing the average application time for City discount programs from 30 minutes to just 5 minutes, resulting in an 80% decrease. Moreover, qualified households can potentially save up to $23,000 annually through the programs available via CiviForm. The City plans to expand the tool to include over 20 assistance programs by the end of 2024.
Google.org Fellows played a pivotal role in the development of CiviForm, contributing their expertise in program management, engineering, user experience, and more. The collaboration between the public and private sectors has facilitated equitable access to critical resources for all residents.
Residents and community partners can access information about, check their eligibility for, and apply to City of Seattle benefits and discount programs at www.seattle.gov/affordable. The website, available in English, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic, Korean, and Tagalog, ensures inclusivity and accessibility for diverse populations.
The expansion of the Affordable Seattle initiative, driven by Harrell’s Executive Order, mandates all City departments with resident benefit and discount programs to integrate with the CiviForm platform by the end of 2024. The Executive Order emphasizes the need to minimize the burden on residents and improve access to City services.
Leah Tivoli, Director of Seattle’s Innovation and Performance Department, says that they input received from residents and community-based organizations throughout the development process invaluable.
“We are proud of our collaboration with Google.org to make it simpler for residents and community-based organizations and excited to scale a better experience to other programs in the coming year,” said Tivoli.
Seattle’s successful implementation of CiviForm has inspired other jurisdictions across the country. The City of Bloomington, Indiana, and the State of Arkansas have already adopted the platform, while the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, has joined the software collaborative. CiviForm has been recognized as one of the 50 most transformative smart projects of 2023 by Smart Cities Connect.
Mayor Harrell concluded by expressing his commitment to continuous improvement, stating, “Our commitment to serving as a learning, growing organization means we won’t just stop at releasing CiviForm – we will continue to improve and enhance this program for neighbors across Seattle. Thank you to everyone who supported this effort.”
