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JUNE 24, 2026
Mayor Wilson Announces Rental Assistance Funding to Help 1,000 Households Stay Housed Each Year Seattle Human Services
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he 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
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. 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.”
RENTAL ASSISTANCE, 3
Blue Highway Games Receives Beloved Queen Anne Business Award Staff Report
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lue Highway Games was honored by the Queen Anne Historical Society with the Beloved Queen Anne Business Award during a recent community event recognizing preservation, restoration, advocacy and neighborhood stewardship. Owners Kyndra and Jacqueline Williams accepted the award in person and shared reflections on Blue Highway’s history, its role in the community and the legacy the business continues to carry forward on Queen Anne. The longtime neighborhood game store has become a gathering place for families, friends, hobbyists and tabletop game fans. The shop offers board games, card games,
Blue Highway Games will mark its 19th anniversary in July puzzles, party games and gifts, with staff who can help customers find the right game for a family night, birthday, date night, holiday gift or regular game group. In a message after the event, the owners thanked the community for its continued support and congratulated other award recipients for their work protecting and celebrating Queen Anne’s landmarks and neighborhood history. “Once again we are reminded of the power of community and are feeling incredibly grateful to you all,” Kyndra and Jacqueline Williams wrote. Blue Highway Games will mark its 19th anniversary in July, giving neighbors another reason to stop in, browse the shelves and support a business that has helped make Queen Anne feel connected for nearly two decades.
KYNDRA WILLIAMS
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.
VOL. 107, NO. 26
Discovery Park Adds Summer Shuttle and Information Booth Staff Report
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iscovery Park visitors will have more help navigating the park this summer, as Seattle Parks and Recreation brings back the free Summer Beach Shuttle and adds a temporary information booth while the Visitor Center remains closed. The update follows a spring and early summer in which volunteers helped fill a visible gap in visitor services at Seattle’s largest park. With the Visitor Center closed, local volunteers, including Magnolia teen Jack Cheever, Friends of Discovery Park members and students from area high schools, stepped in on weekends to answer questions, offer directions and help visitors find trails, restrooms and beach access. Their work helped cover a period when Discovery Park was still welcoming heavy seasonal use, but lacked its usual public-facing welcome point. The volunteer table became an informal front desk for visitors trying to find the Loop Trail, South Beach Trail, West Point Lighthouse and other park destinations.
Seattle Parks has now announced that a temporary information booth will be available on-site Thursdays through Sundays now through Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., depending on staff availability. The booth is expected to be open July 4. The Discovery Park Summer Beach Shuttle will also return for the 2026 season. The free shuttle will operate Saturdays starting immediatly through Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The shuttle loops between the East, North and South Beach parking lots, arriving at each stop about every 30 minutes. The final departure from the beach is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. People, service animals and strollers are allowed on the shuttle. Pets, coolers, surfboards, paddleboards and other large items are not allowed. The service makes beach access easier during the park’s busiest months, especially for visitors who may have difficulty walking the steep route between the upper parking areas and the shoreline. It also helps limit traffic pressure near the beach. The shuttle is supported by donations through the
Associated Recreation Council’s Discovery Park Beach Shuttle fund. Discovery Park remains open, including its trails, viewpoints, beach areas and parking lots. Visitors planning a summer trip should check shuttle times, pack light enough to ride and allow extra time for parking and transportation within the park.
For the volunteers who kept showing up while official visitor services were unavailable, the temporary booth is a welcome step. Their work helped make sure visitors were not left entirely on their own, and their effort showed how much the park depends on the people who care for it. It also gives that work a visible home.