Six projects including a new Duwamish-centered community center and a push for new public restrooms in the city have been chosen by community members in Seattle’s $27 million “participatory budgeting” process born out of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Implementing the projects will be the next project. Continuing the process? That appears to be off the table.

The results were announced last week following a month-long online ranking process in which the Office of Civil Rights says 4,000 votes were cast.

The city says the ranked choice process gave people “who live, work, or play in Seattle” the opportunity to vote on 18 ballot items by selecting their top four proposals. Five winning projects will be fully funded and the remainder of the $27.25 million will be allocated to the 6th place project.

Top Participatory Budgeting Projects

• Native Youth: Past, Present, Future ($7,200,000) 
• Focus Area: Youth & Children
• A Duwamish centered community center would offer recreational, educational, and cultural programs that foster community engagement, promote well-being, and support cultural preservation. It will serve as a vibrant hub of activity, facilitating connections within the urban native community, while also extending a warm welcome to individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• People Not Police Crisis Response Team ($2,000,000)
• Focus Area: Crisis and Wellness
• Funding for trained mental health professionals to be first responders to mental health crises. Marginalized community members are more likely to be harmed when police respond to mental health crises, public outbursts (usually need- or trauma-driven), or behaviors not always explained or understood. A culturally competent, trauma-informed, compassion-based, peer-supported response promises better outcomes, long and short term.
• 24/7 Public Restrooms ($7,200,000)
• Focus Area: Housing and Physical Space
• Increasing the number of 24-hour bathrooms and hygiene facilities.
• Urban Farming and Food Equity ($7,000,000)
• Focus Area: Economic Development
• Leasing green spaces for community food production, fostering locally owned businesses, increasing access to fresh food, and training small-scale farmers.
• Housing Support ($2,000,000) 
• Focus Area: Housing and Physical Space
• Providing housing navigation and assistance services to those in need. Special emphasis shall be put on supportive services for Tiny Home Villages.
• Housing Support for Youth (funded at $1.8M, proposed at $2M)
• Focus Area: Crisis and Wellness
• Connect youth and young adults with supportive housing or rental assistance, while also convening and compensating a youth committee to oversee outreach efforts and resource connections.

CHS reported here last year as the national organization Participatory Budgeting Project brought on to run the effort for the city hired staff and recruited Steering Committee and Working Group members “to shape, launch, and run” the effort.

The initiative was born along with the Black Brilliance Research Project out of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle. The $27 million came under a $100 million package earmarked to address equity in the city by then-Mayor Jenny Durkan during 2020’s unrest in the city.

“Every proposal on the ballot included tangible impacts for communities which are too often ignored” PB Community Engagement Director Telitha Floyd said in a statement, “the people of Seattle have made their voices heard, come together to create a vision for the future for our city where everyone can thrive. The power of the community is undeniable and participatory budgeting is a testament to the commitment, innovation, and brilliance of the people of Seattle.”

Even with millions lined up and a solid set of projects, there are many challenges ahead.

With the money allocated the process will move into an implementation phase, organizers say, as the Office for Civil Rights will be on the line to help coordinate project implementation with other city departments. It could be a long wait to sort out how City Hall can provide resources like new public restrooms.

There is also a larger issue around continuity. The one-time budget allocation created a one-time process. There would need to be a new effort from Mayor Bruce Harrell and the Seattle City Council to continue the program.

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