On August 1st, King County residents will have the opportunity to vote to renew the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL). Many area service providers, senior centers and community leaders have already endorsed this critical support for our communities, and the North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUHSA) is strongly advocating for its renewal.
The VSHSL serves as foundational funding for assisting veterans, senior citizens and our most vulnerable neighbors. Throughout King County, the VSHSL provides over $60 million in annual investments to more than 150 community-based organizations and delivers services for residents through over 300 essential programs. These diverse programs help people transition to affordable housing, get job training, find employment, access emergency financial assistance, connect with domestic violence advocacy, receive behavioral health treatment, and access many other resources and services.
If approved, the Levy would have an initial levy rate of $0.10 per $1,000 of assessed value (the same initial rate for the existing levy) and it would create more than $500 million in critical human services funding between 2024 and 2029.
In our north-end communities, that means essential support for our two senior centers, veterans’ organizations and human service providers, such as Crisis Connections and New Beginnings.
It signifies creating deep investments to aid survivors of gender-based violence, offering supportive housing options, and strengthening the human services workforce by improving wages. It also means doubling current funding for many senior centers across the region and continuing our nation-leading efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in partnership with the Veterans Administration.
Overall, the Levy has served more than 185,000 people since its last renewal in 2017, including more than 27,000 veterans, service members or their families – and more than 100,000 seniors!
Let’s keep doing what works.
Please choose to vote YES on King County Prop. 1 and invest in the people, providers and programs that strengthen connections and build healthy communities.
Thank you for your consideration!
See here and here to learn more about the Levy’s impact.
