Seattle youth and urban farming families may receive a big boost if the Seattle City Council authorizes spending $27.25 million on six “participatory budgeting” projects.
Among the six projects that would be funded is a new Native-focused youth and community center, which would receive $7.2 million and a $1.85 million allocation would go to support the city’s youth and young adult emergency shelter if the council authorizes the spending. The community center would focus on Duwamish cultural education and recreation for youth.
Another $7 million would open up to five public greenspaces for urban farming activities—supporting things like community gardens used by hundreds of families in Seattle, roof-top gardening projects, and small-scale farming and food producers.
The participatory budget process allows community members to submit and vote on projects to fund. It helps the city determine how it will invest in programs and services that improve the safety and well-being of local communities—particularly Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. The process, launched in 2015, invites members of BIPOC or other communities to directly engage in new project development and vote on which projects should receive city funds.
When he sent the funding request to the council, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said the six participatory budgeting projects “reflect our commitment to embark on this unprecedented process and invest in community-driven ideas and services to strengthen and meet the unique needs of Seattle’s diverse communities.”
If the council OKs the plan, it would mean funding for three other participatory budgeting projects along with the community center, youth shelter, and urban agriculture support. Those projects focus on:
- increasing access to housing,
- improving public safety and mental health support,
- and enhancing cleanliness and safety at five community-operated restrooms.
For the latter, community organizations would be selected to oversee five Seattle Parks and Recreation restroom sites, including having attendants at two to three existing permanent restrooms and two to three mobile restroom trailers. The locations of the restroom trailers would be decided through community engagement based on need and the ability to move to the areas of most significant demand.
“Participatory budgeting moves us closer to building systems that increase agency for underrepresented communities in Seattle,” said Derrick Wheeler-Smith, director of the city’s Office of Civil Rights, in a release this week. “These projects are an opportunity for the city to be accountable to promises made in 2020 to create new ways to get civically engaged and invest in urgent needs of our most prevented and persecuted communities.”
Learn more about the City of Seattle’s participatory budgeting process on the city’s website.
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