Seattle organizations made their voices heard to a City Council committee about the proposed 2026 City budget: In uncertain times, they worry that funding might shrivel.
Mayor Bruce Harrell's budget plan was announced on Sept. 23, with plans to allocate nearly $350 million for affordable housing, $225 million for addressing homelessness, and $52 million for food investments.
"In the face of continued federal uncertainty, our 2026 budget reflects a commitment to our local values and building strong, resilient communities," Mayor Harrell said, citing potential federal cuts under the Trump administration.
Seattle follows a biennial budget system that approves funds for one year and endorses the same amounts for the following year.
On Oct. 7, central and South End-based groups, addressing issues ranging from gender-based violence to labor rights, spoke to the Council about what the budget means for the people they serve.
Representing the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center in Renton, Laurel Redden urged for more funding for their nonprofit, arguing that federal and state cuts over time have left their organization "extremely unstable."
Under the proposal, Harrell allocated about $666,000 more to gender-based violence services from 2025, but Redden says that still leaves a "tremendous gap."
"Without additional funding from the city … we risk silencing immigrant survivors who need language access to fully tell their story. We risk wrap-around support to help survivors access food, housing, transportation and other needs to remain in their cases," Redden said. "We risk telling survivors they must wait for services they need today."
Julius Caesar Robinson of Partner in Employment, a SeaTac-based group that helps newly arrived immigrants and refugees build financial stability, urged the Council to maintain funds for the City's Office of Labor Standards (OLS).
Caesar Robinson told the Council he trains East African and Middle Eastern refugees on their labor rights using resources from OLS. Under the proposed plan, the department budget would increase next year by about $1.3 million from 2025.
"Cutting funding will reduce our ability to continue educating our workers and employers in Seattle and put our most vulnerable workers at risk of harassment, discrimination and retaliation," Caesar Robinson said.
Citing potential federal cuts to housing, Hali Willis of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness called on the Council to "prioritize keeping people housed before spending money on new or expanded programs across the budget."
Under Harrell's plan, $349 million would be invested in affordable rental housing, housing for formerly unhoused people, and permanent homeownership opportunities. That's $7 million more than what was allocated the year prior. Another $225 million is marked for services for the unhoused. The former budget allocated $191 million for homelessness response.
"Please sustain all housing and shelter and expand the mayor's proposed reserve for federal cuts to ensure that nobody loses their home," Willis said.
The Council reviews a proposed budget from the mayor every September. Elected officials encourage community members to provide feedback in scheduled public hearings to have their voices heard. The Budget Committee will hold another public hearing Nov. 6 and host a number of committee meetings where public comment is welcome, before taking a final vote on Nov. 20 and 21.
You can sign up for public comment or submit a written comment on the City Council website.
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