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The City of Seattle
title
An ordinance relating to vehicle residency permitting and outreach; amending Ordinance 127362, which adopted the 2026 budget, including the 2026-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP); changing appropriations to various departments and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget; creating positions; modifying a proviso; and imposing a proviso.
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Recitals:
The City of Seattle is committed to creating a comprehensive strategy to help people living in their vehicles enter permanent housing, including a Vehicle Residency Permitting Program, increased outreach and engagement with vehicle residents and increased housing, shelter, and vehicle storage options for vehicle residents.
The appropriations contained within this bill may be amended during the Council review of the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program.
These appropriations create position authority for City caseworkers to assist contracted outreach services and their clients and may be amended to include an additional Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Vehicle Team, if appropriate.
Working with the Human Services Department, the changes in this budget action should fund City-contracted service providers engaged in outreach to people living in vehicles, for capacity building and increased staffing in order to reduce case management ratios and to help vehicle residents meet code requirements related to their vehicle.
Through this budget action and future budget actions, the City should ensure there are two safe lots operating to ensure that, if one closes, another remains open, in addition to having Shelter Storage available to support the City’s existing shelter portfolio.
The 2026 Adopted Budget contains $3.5 million in ongoing funding to support vehicle residents’ transition to shelter. Additionally, $1.5 of one-time funding for vehicle residents was administratively carried from into 2026 from the 2025 Adopted Budget. That total funding of $5 million resides in the Human Services Department’s Addressing Homelessness Budget Summary Level. Therefore,
Be it ordained by The City of Seattle as follows:
Section 1. The appropriations for the following items in the 2026 Adopted Budget are modified, as follows:
|
Item |
Department |
Fund |
Budget Summary Level/BCL Code |
Amount ($) |
|
1.1 |
Human Services Department |
General Fund (00100) |
Addressing Homelessness (00100-BO-HS-H3000) |
(216,000) |
|
1.2 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
General Fund (00100) |
ROW Management (00100-BO-TR-17004) |
216,000 |
Section 2. The following new positions are created:
|
Item |
Department |
Position Title |
Position Status |
Number |
|
2.1 |
Human Services Department |
Counselor (98856 - 030) |
Full-time |
7.0 |
|
2.1 |
Seattle Department of Transportation |
Permit Technician (57150 - 004) |
Full-time |
1.0 |
The Director of the Human Services Department and the Director of Transportation are authorized to fill these positions subject to Seattle Municipal Code Title 4, the City’s Personnel Rules, Civil Service rules, and applicable employment laws.
Section 3. The following proviso in the 2026 Adopted Budget is modified as follows:
|
Item |
Department |
Council Budget Action |
Proviso |
CIP Project/ID |
|
3.1 |
Human Services Department |
HSD-072-A-2 |
"Of the appropriations in the Human Services Department's 2026 budget for the Addressing Homelessness ((BSL)) Budget Summary Level (HSD-BO-HS-H3000), $2 million is appropriated solely for storage of recreational vehicles and other lived in vehicles and associated safe lots or safe storage of vehicles when tied to shelter; ((and)) assisting vehicles resident transitioning into shelter or housing and associated costs; and for recreational vehicle (((RV))) and other vehicle parking and storage associated with non-congregate shelter; and for City staff or contracted service providers to deliver outreach and support to persons living in vehicles, and may be spent for no other purpose.” |
N/A |
Section 4. This ordinance imposes a proviso as follows:
"Of the appropriations in the Human Services Department's 2026 budget for the Addressing Homelessness Budget Summary Level (HSD-BO-HS-H3000), $2 million is appropriated solely for the following and may be spent for no other purpose: 1) support of service providers engaged in outreach to persons living in vehicles, including capacity building and increased staffing in order to reduce case management ratios; and 2) to help vehicle residents meet code requirements related to their vehicles.”
This ordinance shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Sections 1.04.020 and 1.04.070.
Passed by the City Council and signed in open session in authentication of its passage on .
President of the City Council
on .
Katie B. Wilson, Mayor
Scheereen Dedman, City Clerk