Budget and Funding Sources

Department Overview

The Human Services Department (HSD) is one of the largest contributors to Seattle's safety net. We invest hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with more than 200 community-based organizations that support our neighbors and communities, and to direct services carried out by our own staff. These programs and services ensure Seattle residents have food and shelter, education and job opportunities, access to health care, opportunities to gain social and economic independence and success, and many more of life's basic necessities. HSD's Aging and Disability Services division also serves King County as the Area Agency on Aging. HSD is committed to working with the community to provide appropriate and culturally-relevant services.

HSD’s work is funded by a variety of revenue sources, including federal, state, and inter-local grants, as well as the City’s General Fund, Sweetened Beverage Tax Fund, Short Term Rental tax revenues, and the Payroll Expense Tax Fund. External funding such as grants represent 26% of HSD’s $319 million 2023 Adopted Budget and 26% of HSD’s $319 million 2024 Endorsed Budget.

Budget Overview

**For more details, download HSD's Budget Overview prepared by the City Budget Office.

The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets for the Human Services Department (HSD) are $319.1 million and $318.9 million respectively and prioritize investments for addressing homelessness and public safety. The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets include investments to sustain and expand the City’s shelter capacity, new investments for safe parking lots for people living in vehicles, and increased outreach support for people experiencing homelessness. The adopted budget continues public safety investments in the Seattle Community Safety Initiative and King County Regional Peacekeepers. These investments allow community-led organizations to develop and lead violence prevention initiatives.

The General Fund revenue forecast for the City’s 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets is insufficient to cover expected costs. While the 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budget increases HSD’s overall General Fund budget compared to the 2022 Adopted Budget, some General Fund reductions were identified to mitigate this shortfall in revenues.

The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets for the Human Services Department include $111.4 million in 2023 and $114.8 in 2024 for addressing homelessness. Of this funding, approximately $97 million will be transferred to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) in 2023. The remaining $14.5 million for addressing homelessness will support City managed homeless programs ($12 million), contract oversight and administration ($1.1 million), and City outreach support to connect unsheltered people sleeping in public spaces to shelter and housing ($1.3 million). The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets include $5.7 million in 2023 and $7 million in 2024 to sustain existing homelessness programs and services previously funded with one-time funding. The adopted budget includes $10.3 million in new homelessness investments including $2.4 million for new Tiny Home Villages, $5.1 million for new safe parking lots, $1 million for recreational vehicle parking and storage associated with non-congregate shelter, and $1.9 million for unsheltered outreach and behavioral services.

HSD’s Safe and Thriving Communities (STC) Division manages the department’s investments in community safety and violence prevention programs. The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets invest $325,565 in each year for two victim advocates and one administrative specialist to the Crime Survivor Services Unit. The adopted budget continues a prior one-time $1.4 million investment for re-entry programs for Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities. In addition, STC continues a prior one-time $1.5 million investment in the King County Regional Peacekeepers Collective and $4.3 million for Seattle Community Safety Initiative to maintain community safety capacity developed since STC's initial 2021 funding.

The 2023 Adopted and 2024 Endorsed budgets also include funding to support inflationary increases for HSD’s service provider contracts in 2023 ($14.4 million) and 2024 ($27.5 million).