The City of Seattle is nearly doubling its funding for homeless services in 2018 to help women find and maintain stable housing. Women are most often served in homelessness prevention, diversion and rapid rehousing programs. Over 65% of the households served by these programs are led by women.
The City of Seattle also supports emergency services for women experiencing homelessness. Seattle and Catholic Housing Services have partnered in funding the Women’s Referral Center which connects over 850 women to shelter and supportive services every year. In our city-funded emergency shelters, of which over 60% serve women and their partners or families, the Human Services Department is working to ensure that 100% of shelter beds are filled every night.
Investments in women’s emergency services
- The Women’s Referral Center – serving 867 women in 2018 – helps homeless women connect to shelter and resources throughout Seattle. It is fully funded through 2018.
- Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Building a Bridge to Housing for All commits to opening a new bridge housing village for chronically homeless women by May 31, 2018.
- 68% of city-funded emergency shelters serve women.
- HSD is partnering with women’s shelter providers to ensure that 100% of shelter beds are filled every night.
- Seattle invests $1.4 million in transitional and permanent housing programs for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
- SHARE/WHEEL – a shelter provider – will receive City-funding through June and has indicated they will raise private funds to remain open to provide overnight shelter to people experiencing homelessness.
Investments in services that benefit women
- Increased funding for programs that prevent or divert people from becoming homeless. and programs that rapidly re-house women who have become homeless.
- Seattle has more than doubled funding to homelessness prevention and diversion programs
- Seattle has increased rapid rehousing services by more than $1 million
| Service | Percentage of Female Households of Total Served | 2017 Funding | 2018 Funding |
| Homelessness Prevention | 65% | $1.2 million | $2.5 million |
| Homelessness Diversion | 68% | $737,000 | $1.9 million |
| Rapid Rehousing | 72% | $2.9 million | $4.3 million |
