Seattle City Council allocates $28.7 million to rental assistance in latest COVID-19 rescue plan

The $ 52 million plan will also help fund transportation projects and senior programs.

Editor’s Note: The above video about the Seattle Rescue Package was originally released in May 2021.

SEATTLE – On Monday, Seattle City Council built on its $ 128.4 million Seattle Rescue Package by launching a second rescue plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, valued at more than $ 52 million in federal funding adopted.

The council decided to use more than half of the money on rental subsidies and distribute nearly $ 29 million to organizations such as the United Way of King County and the Office of Housing.

The city said the funding would help low-income residents pay for things like the internet and fund homelessness prevention services.

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The plan was passed unanimously by the council and touted as a joint effort between Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, council chair Teresa Mosqueda, council president M. Lorena Gonzalez and council member Lisa Herbold.

The focus on rental assistance and homelessness prevention comes as many residents want to end the eviction moratorium on September 30 amid the escalating COVID-19 delta variant, leading many companies to roll back their plans to return to the office or vaccination requirements for their employees .

“Many Seattle families are still struggling financially and unable to pay their rent, many seniors are still isolated from their loved ones and communities, and our transportation systems are struggling with passenger traffic as more companies make their appointments for postpone the return to the office, ”said Mosqueda. “While these are targeted federal dollars that need to be allocated to specific spending categories, I know this latest $ 52.2 million infusion will help our city rejuvenate by promoting aid to our hardest hit communities . “

Durkan’s previous bailout package, passed in June, focused more on solutions to homelessness and small business recovery, and allocated more than $ 70 million to those efforts.

The new rescue plan also provides transportation projects such as the $ 13.5 million Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit and funds the revenue from the tram and monorail.

Another $ 7.8 million will help seniors with case management, food delivery, and mental health, and just over $ 2 million will go to McCaw Hall, a Seattle Center-owned venue.

The city expects an additional $ 116 million in flexible federal COVID-19 relief funds in May 2022.