(The Center Square) – The Seattle Human Services Department has opened its $14.7 million request for proposals with funding dedicated to reducing gun violence in the city and youth violence.
The goal of the available funding is to decrease people’s involvement in gun violence, and make schools safer for students. Both youth and adults up to 35 years old are the priority population for the Human Services Department, as well as the city’s Black community members, according to the presentation, according to a department presentation to the Seattle Public Safety Committee on Tuesday.
Notably, Seattle-based Harborview Medical Center reported that 51% of gunshot victims were Black and 71% were 35 or younger in 2024.
There have been 463 shots fired in city limits this year as of Sept. 20, down 19% from 551 this time last year, according to Seattle Police Department statistics. The Center Square previously reported that shooting victims in King County under the age of 17 represented 15% of total shooting victims last year, compared to 9% in 2023. Additionally, the 61 youth shooting victims in 2024 doubled from 2019 and increased 45% since 2023.
To address gun violence, the Seattle Human Services Department utilizes a community safety model that considers four states that people can be in: those free from gun violence, those at risk of gun violence involvement, those involved in gun violence, and post-gun violence involvement. Once people enter the state of being at risk of being involved in gun violence, they are susceptible to being in a cycle. The $14.7 million will be dedicated to intervention, supportive, and school safety services that work to break people out of this cycle.
Intervention services that Human Services will provide funding for include hospital-based and place-based intervention services. In essence, interventions work to connect people expressing strong desires for revenge with a conflict resolution team and work to provide ongoing mental health support, and assistance with other basic needs to maintain stability.
Supportive services include mentorship and coaching, peer support, legal aid, and food and rent assistance.
School safety services include on-site safety teams, case management, and a family resource fund to aid families in basic needs.
“This funding opportunity reflects continuous improvement and what we’ve learned with our community partners, who are a vital part of this work,” Seattle Human Services Department Director Tanya Kim said in a statement.
City auditors called for Human Services to learn from peer cities, including Baltimore and Oakland, to implement improvements in its community safety request-for-proposals model.
One example of a program noted by the department is Oakland’s Ceasefire lifeline program, which focuses on a small percentage of people involved in the majority of community violence with intensive social services.
The request for proposals was released on Tuesday, with applications closing Nov. 12. Human Services will announce awards on Jan. 26, 2026, with contracts starting April 1.
Seattle voters will be tasked with deciding on a proposed Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy renewal that is on the upcoming general election ballot. The levy would utilize $506.7 million to support student safety and mental health services.
If the levy does not pass, the city will continue funding $36.9 million annually in violence interruption and community-based upstream services.
