Each Fall, the Coalition helps our community speak up for housing justice in the Seattle and King County budgets. Here is a quick summary of our priorities this year (subject to change).
In 2027, Seattle and King County must ensure stability for people who currently have access to housing or shelter, and expand access to shelter, housing, and basic needs for people trying to survive outside. We applaud the Mayor’s & Executive’s efforts to expand shelter, and recognize the difficulty of expanding programs that save people’s lives while grappling with a significant and persistent structural budget deficit and profound chaos at the federal level. To ensure that more Seattle and King County residents can survive and meet their basic needs this year, the Mayor, Executive, and Councilmembers should make the following investments in the 2027 budget.
2027 Seattle Budget Recommendations
- Ensure that nobody loses their home, shelter, or access to basic needs due to federal, state, or local cuts or policy changes.
- In partnership with King County, sustain regional housing stability contingency funds identified in the Mayor’s proposed budget to protect existing permanent supportive housing and other housing supported by federal Continuum of Care funds.
- Adjust all homelessness services contracts for inflation, including federally-funded contracts and human services contracts housed outside of the Human Services Department.
- Add high-quality enhanced non-congregate shelter that meets people’s needs and helps them get all the way home.
- Protect funding identified in the Mayor’s proposed budget to expand shelter.
- Ensure that new and existing shelters and services are supported with ongoing operating funds to support high-quality programs and staffing that meet guests’ needs, including for people with complex behavioral health needs.
- Prevent evictions into homelessness
- Protect investments in the Mayor’s proposed budget for homelessness prevention including targeted rental assistance.
- Increase investments in tenant services by $500,000 to support increased need during a time of record-high evictions.
- Invest in a robust and sustainable human services workforce
- Increase all human services contracts by 6% for wage equity for front-line staff. This will help to reduce turnover and vacancy rates, and increase the stability and quality of services for Seattle residents. The city-funded 2023 wage equity study found that non-profit human services staff are paid 37% less than their peers in other sectors, and recommended immediate action to raise wages. Under the previous mayoral administration, human services contracts were adjusted by approximately 4% to raise staff wages, but the current proposed budget does not include any wage equity increases.
- Expand Seattle’s commitment to deeply affordable homes so people can leave homelessness permanently
- Restore Seattle’s commitment to invest 62% of Jumpstart Payroll Expense Tax revenues in deeply affordable homes in the 2028 endorsed budget.
- Raise local progressive revenue. New revenue should support and increase housing, shelter, and human services and buffer Seattle residents against the effects of massive federal cuts and policy changes that affect people’s access to health care, food, housing, and other core services.
2027 King County Budget Recommendations
- Ensure that nobody loses their home, shelter, or access to basic needs due to federal, state, or local cuts or policy changes.
- In partnership with Seattle, sustain housing stability contingency funds set aside in the 2026 budgets to keep people housed when the federal government makes cuts to our community’s Continuum of Care funds.
- Adjust all homelessness services contracts for inflation, including federally funded contracts. That ensures that shelters, housing providers, and essential services can keep their doors open and continue serving King County residents who need them.
- Add high-quality enhanced non-congregate shelter and housing that meets people’s needs
- Ensure that additional shelter and permanent housing is funded to support high-quality programs and staffing that meet guests’ needs, including for people with complex unmet needs related to mental health, physical health, and substance use.
- Identify sustainable, ongoing operating funds to support new and existing shelter and housing.
- Build a robust and sustainable human services workforce
- Increase all human services contracts by 6% for wage equity for front-line staff.
Note: This is a working document last edited September 29, 2026. SKCCH budget priorities may change as the budget season goes on, particularly considering significant uncertainties related to HUD COC funding and the future of our regional homelessness response. If you have any questions, please contact Hali Willis, Community Policy Manager, hali[at]homelessinfo.org