During our November meeting, we were joined by Poverty Action and Solid Ground to review and discuss upcoming changes to SNAP (starting Dec 1, 2025). We also talked about the recently announced changes to HUD that will impact our region and heard an inspiring presentation from DESC’s new ORCA Center.
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Dec 2025 Changes to SNAP
Thank you to Lianna Kressin from Poverty Action and Patricia Bowen from Solid Ground for presenting on the changes coming to SNAP starting Monday, December 1. Jump to 00:7:49 to see this section of our meeting.
HR1 & Federal Context
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR1) into law. The impacts of this bill will go into effect over the next 5 years. Individuals will have an increased burden of “proof of need” to maintain eligibility for programs and states will be required to pay more to provide the same, or lower, benefits.
Changes to SNAP are already taking place but impacts will roll out over time. Even though new work requirements start Dec 1, 2025, there are still many unanswered questions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Work Requirements
New work requirements—expected to be about 20 hours per week—start Monday, December 1, 2025. More than 100,000 people are expected to be impacted by new work requirements with 57,000 Washingtonians losing some of their food assistance.
The following groups will have new work requirements:
- Seniors up to age 65 (previously 55)
- Caregivers of children 14 and younger (previously 18)
- Veterans
- People experiencing homelessness
- Former foster youth
- Some Native adults not on living tribal lands
People with “verified” disability status will remain exempt from work requirements. Jump to 00:34:40 to hear more about disability status.
Immigrant Eligibility
Changes to SNAP eligibility that will impact immigrants started July 4, 2025.
Moving forward, only citizens, green card holders, Cuban or Haitian entrants, and Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants will be eligible for SNAP.
People with the following immigration statuses will lose eligibility for public benefits:
- Temporary Protected Status
- Applicants for adjustment to LPR status with approved visa petitions
- Applicants for asylum or withholding of deportation/removal
- People paroled for less than one year, granted deferred enforced departure, or deferred action
- Special immigrant juveniles
- U Visa Holders
- Valid nonimmigrant visas, and more
Many immigrants will become eligible for State Food Assistance. If all transfer to the state program, it will cost the state approximately $100 million.
Additional changes to SNAP
Besides new work requirements and decreased assistance for immigrants, the following changes have already taken effect:
- SNAP benefits will no longer keep up with the cost of living
- People receiving SNAP who were previously eligible for standard utility allowances are no longer eligible for utility allowances unless they belong to a household with an elderly or disabled member
- The SNAP-Education program was eliminated on October 1, 2025
DESC’s new ORCA Center
Thank you to Callan Fockele from DESC for an educational and inspiring presentation on the new ORCA Center, which opened September 2, 2025. Jump to 00:41:13 to view this segment of our meeting.
The ORCA Center is an opioid recovery and care access center. The Center is located inside the Downtown Behavioral Health Clinic at 515 3rd Avenue, 2nd floor, Seattle, WA 98104. The Center offers 24/7 stabilization beds for eligible people who are experiencing an opioid overdose (accessed via First Responders), peer support, and linkage to care. Additionally, walk-ins are accepted from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. A person receiving treatment can stay up to 24 hours. To refer someone to this center, call 206-776-2253 and press 1.
Changes to the HUD CoC NOFO & the impacts of our budget advocacy
Changes at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) were released on Thursday, November 13. These changes will seriously impact our local system of housing and care.
Seattle and King County make up a Continuum of Care (CoC) that applies, each year, for federal funding from HUD. Our federal funding is the largest source of funding for housing and related services in our region.
Our CoC used 80 percent of the $67 million we received in federal funding for permanent housing, which includes rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing for about 4,500 people.
Based on the newly released changes, only 30 percent of HUD funding can be used for permanent housing.
Thanks to the advocacy of this Coalition, which includes participation from many of you, we secured $21 million in contingency funds in the Seattle budget to offset this loss of federal funding.
Thank you to Rachel Alger from the office of Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck for joining us to explain the role CM Rinck played in securing contingency funds.
Please take three minutes to send this thank-you message to our Seattle and King County Councilmembers.
Jump to 1:01:32 to view this section of our meeting.
In addition to funding from Seattle, King County Council committed to develop a contingency fund by March 2026 for permanent housing.
City and county funding will not be enough to fully brace our community for the impacts of changes at HUD. The Washington state government will need to take an active role in defending local homes. Please join us Thursday, December 11 for our Legislative Preview meeting that will prepare our community for advocating during the 2026 legislative session. We will be joined by the following state lawmakers:
- Representative Nicole Macri (43-LD)
- Representative Strom Peterson (21-LD)
- Representative Mia Gregerson (33-LD)
- Representative Brianna Thomas (34-LD)
We look forward to seeing you there: https://bit.ly/2025LegPreview