Burien to reallocate Catholic Community Services funds and advance Human Services Commission priorities

Burien’s City Council agreed Jan. 26 to place human-services funding recommendations on the consent agenda and to consider reallocating remaining contract funds from Catholic Community Services to local eviction-prevention and emergency assistance programs.

Human Services staff told council the city would have roughly $16,200 available under the city’s per-capita increase formula for 2026 and noted Catholic Community Services has closed its local emergency-assistance program, leaving $18,000 in remaining contract funds. The Human Services Commission recommended using those dollars to increase contracts with multi-service centers’ EARNS program (emergency assistance, resource navigation and case management) and to provide additional support to St. Vincent de Paul’s eviction-prevention services in Burien.

Why it matters: the reallocation is intended to maintain rent and utility assistance capacity in Burien after the loss of Catholic Community Services’ local emergency program. Council members asked about prioritizing food-security programs and about the mechanics of contract execution and budget timing.

Council discussion: Commissioners and staff described a careful review process and cited cost-effectiveness analyses favoring eviction- and utility-assistance (keeping people housed) as the best immediate uses for the modest funding. Council members raised questions about Highline Food Bank and the city’s ability to sustain allocations pending larger budget decisions later in the year. The staff noted that recommended awards would be one-year contracts and that no contract is signed until the final budget is adopted.

Next steps: Council moved and seconded placing the item on the next regular meeting consent agenda; if the consent item is approved, staff will prepare one-year contracts and return them for processing.