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Seattle public commenters urge council to restore tenant services, add rental aid in 2026 budget
Summary
At a Select Budget Committee public hearing, dozens of Seattle residents and nonprofit leaders asked the council to restore tenant services funding to 2024 levels, add at least $4 million for rental assistance, and protect meal and food-bank programs as federal SNAP cuts take effect.
Dozens of residents, service providers and neighborhood leaders told the Seattle City Council Select Budget Committee on Nov. 8 that restoring tenant services and expanding rental assistance must be priorities in the 2026 budget.
"I urge the council to fully reinstate all of the funding for tenant services by adding at least 500,000 to what is proposed in the chair's balancing package," said Mackenzie Liu, elected legal assistant with the Housing Justice Project, during the virtual public hearing. Liu said eviction filings have doubled this year and that tenant services are the "strongest prevention" against displacement.
The testimony came during an extended virtual public-comment segment after the committee opened the 2026 budget hearing. Commenters argued that cuts to city-funded tenant services last year have left legal and counseling providers with less capacity to prevent evictions, and that restoring funding would be more cost‑effective than responding after…
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