Mayor Wilson Announces Rental Assistance Funding to Help 1,000 Households Stay Housed Each Year 

The City of Seattle is taking another step to help residents stay housed before they fall into homelessness. 

As part of Mayor Katie Wilson’s affordability agenda, the Seattle Human Services Department announced a new Request for Proposals for homelessness prevention services. The funding opportunity will provide approximately $8 million in 2027 to support rental assistance, eviction prevention, legal services, case management, and a new centralized application process designed to make it easier for residents to ask for and be connected to help. 

The investment is expected to support approximately 1,000 households each year. 

Why This Investment Matters 

Housing instability and eviction continue to affect many renters across Seattle and King County. King County experienced 8,732 evictions in 2025, a 12 percent increase from 2024 and a record high. At the same time, 46 percent of King County renters are rent burdened, meaning they pay 30 percent or more of their income toward rent. 

The burden is not shared equally. Rent burden is especially high among people with low incomes, people with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency, older adults, and communities of color. These disparities reflect broader patterns of economic inequality and housing instability that can make it harder for residents to stay housed when they face a financial emergency. 

Provide Help Before a Crisis Becomes Homelessness  

For many households, one unexpected emergency — a medical bill, job loss, reduced work hours, or rent increase — can put housing at risk. Across Washington state, 9 in 10 evictions result from nonpayment of rent. At the same time, homelessness continues to rise, with the most recent Point-in-Time Count showing a 26 percent increase in homelessness in King County from 2022 to 2024. 

Rental assistance is one of the most effective tools available to prevent homelessness. When households receive help before they lose housing, they are more likely to remain stable and less likely to need more intensive crisis services later. 

“Rental assistance is vital for residents across our city to help people with stable housing,” said Tanya Kim, Director of the Seattle Human Services Department. “These resources from Seattle’s Human Services Department are a lifeline for families and individuals. Through partnerships with community-based pathways, information on how to access support will reach more people and help families to thrive.” 

What the RFP Will Fund 

This RFP builds on Seattle’s existing homelessness prevention system by focusing on three strategies: 

• Helping households at immediate risk of homelessness 
  Approximately $6.5 million will support rental assistance and case management for households at immediate risk of losing their housing. This funding is intended to help stabilize residents before they enter the eviction process or become homeless. 
• Helping households already facing eviction 
  Approximately $627,000 will support legal services and rental assistance for households already involved in the eviction process. This strategy focuses on helping residents resolve urgent housing crises and remain in their homes whenever possible. 
• Creating a centralized front door for rental assistance 
  Approximately $900,000 will support one agency to manage client applications, coordinate with providers, and help connect residents to the right support. This agency will help operate a more coordinated homelessness prevention system and support consistent service delivery across providers. 

A Simpler Path to Help 

A key part of this investment is a new online rental assistance application expected to launch in 2027. The application will be hosted on a City of Seattle website and is intended to replace the current process, where households often have to contact multiple providers that each have their own screening and intake requirements. 

The selected Centralized Front Door agency will help manage this new process, coordinate across awarded providers, and connect residents with immediate and appropriate support. The goal is to make rental assistance easier to access, reduce confusion for residents, and strengthen outcomes for households at risk of homelessness. 

Information Sessions for Interested Agencies 

HSD will hold two virtual information sessions for agencies interested in applying: 

• June 23, 2026, from 1 – 3 PM 

• June 25, 2026, from 9 – 11 AM 

Access to the information sessions is available on HSD’s Funding Opportunities page. The first session will be recorded and posted on the RFP webpage. 

Interested agencies are encouraged to attend and apply.