Community Liaisons
Background
The Community Liaisons program was created to help the City do a better job of engaging with and serving historically underrepresented communities in Seattle. Community Liaisons are independent contractors who act as a neutral bridge between people and city government, ensuring underrepresented groups have access to City information, resources, and decision-making power. Modeled after other “trusted advocates” programs, Community Liaisons are embedded community leaders representing historically underserved communities, including communities of color, immigrant and refugee populations, people living with disabilities, Native Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, unhoused populations, and seniors.
Scope of Work
Staff from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods manage Community Liaison projects in partnership with staff from other City departments. Their work varies with each project and includes:
- Advising on outreach materials and plans
- Participating in and convening focus groups
- Conducting door-to-door outreach and survey collection
- Providing online and social media engagement
- Interpreting at events
- Working with ethnic media
- Serving committees and advisory bodies
- Translating and proofreading documents
- Partnering with the Equity and Engagement Advisors on long-terms projects
Case Studies
Seattle City Light
Project Summary: An 8-month pilot project aims to enroll residents in an energy-saving home improvement plan.
Community Liaisons (CLs): Cantonese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese Community Liaisons provided on-site assistance, attended community outreach events, provided language services at home assessments, and summarized engagement reports.
Impacts: Helped recruit 40 home assessments and 12 free heat pump installations for eligible households.
Seattle Public Utilities
Project Summary: Seattle Public Utilities Adopt a Street is a grassroots litter removal program in Seattle that helps keep our streets clean.
Community Liaisons (CLs): Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Filipino, and Vietnamese Liaisons engaged communities to encourage volunteer sign ups in Lake City, University District, Columbia City, Delridge, Chinatown International District, South Park, and Rainier Beach.
Impacts: Community Liaisons helped collect program feedback, which later made the program more accessible, particularly to hard-to-reach communities. This resulted in a significant increase of volunteer sign-ups by 1,000 community participants.