Seattle Will Invest $500K for Outreach in Little Saigon, North Rainier to Address Public Safety

When faced with addressing public safety issues in several South End neighborhoods, Councilmember Eddie Lin sought to find a solution. Its proposed cost: $500,000.

“[This] community investment will focus on providing relief for neighbors dealing with the impacts of anti-social behavior in areas around Little Saigon, including North Beacon Hill and North Rainier,” Lin said about an amendment he proposed to the mid-year supplemental budget. 

The amendment allocates $500,000 to the Human Services Department to hire neighborhood outreach coordinators for the north stretch of Rainier Avenue South. Seattle City Council passed the amendment on Aug. 11 with an 8-1 vote, with Councilmember Martiza Rivera voting no. Rivera opposed it, she said, because budget issues surrounding public safety “should be addressed in a month when we have the budget [meetings].”

Seattle budget meetings usually occur in October and November.

Lin said allocating the funding was a way to use the mid-year budget to bring “relief for neighborhoods most impacted by substance use and homelessness.” He added that the area where outreach coordinators would work is the “most heavily impacted [area] around Little Saigon,” which includes parts of North Beacon Hill, Judkins Park, and Mount Baker.

 In Little Saigon, progress addressing public safety concerns has been incremental, following Mayor Katie Wilson’s announcement in June that the City planned to expand policing and services. Wilson’s plan involves training SPD officers to make referrals to the LEAD (Law-Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program, funding outreach workers, and shifting to a citywide “neighborhood-based community policing model.”

On July 28, during a Public Safety Committee meeting, members from the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Purpose, Dignity, Action (PDA) discussed how a recently passed ordinance would affect their work, especially in Little Saigon.

That month, the look of the neighborhood often changed. Sometimes, people participated in an open-air drug market, an activity that ran counter to the mayor’s directive. Other times, when SPD was present, the area was clear. 

West Precinct Captain Marc Garth-Green said that officers respond to what they see in the area, and the department adjusts work shifts, when possible, to address what’s happening.

Is it successful? “Absolutely,” Garth-Green said, adding, “Can the community walk on the sidewalk without having to step in the road? … Is the community seeing officers out there, interacting with people? Those are the [indicators] that we’re seeing the increases in. So that’s showing me that we are having some success [in Little Saigon].”

That sentiment lines up with Wilson’s belief that she wants each month to be “better than the last.” It also aligns with Interim Chief Andre Sayles' comments about seeking a “trickle effect” to slowly build momentum in addressing public safety in Little Saigon and the surrounding area.

Yet others in City government think more could be done to address public safety in Little Saigon. Quyhn Pham, director of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and former executive director of the Friends of Little Saigon (FLS), said she thinks the City is headed in the right direction. “But, honestly, with all the priorities and what [has] been happening, I think we could do more to highlight the CID and Little Saigon,” said Pham.

Elena Arakaki, community development manager for FLS, agrees that local governments should get “to the root of the public safety issues” in Little Saigon. “Homelessness and substance use require much higher-level interventions and coordination,” said Arakaki, “so we're advocating for the City and County to better coordinate themselves to work in systemic-level solutions."

Lin said addressing public safety issues in Little Saigon and the surrounding areas involves more than a police response. A human service response is an important component of the City’s larger response to public safety in the area, he said, but it will “not solve our problems overnight.”

Connor Nash is a contributing news reporter covering local politics. Originally from Maryland, he has lived in Seattle since 2018, primarily in Little Saigon. Before becoming a reporter, he worked in state and federal government roles focused on consumer protection, public records, and economic data. He also ran for Seattle City Council in 2025.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on Aug. 19 to correct an editing error.