AlertSeattle: COVID-19 Subscribers – This weekly alert provides new and updated information and links to City of Seattle programs and services for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contains helpful city, county, state and federal resources. You may receive more frequent alerts, if needed.
NEWS
Help your Neighbors by Shopping Responsibly: Many grocery stores are reserving specific hours for populations at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, including people aged 60+. Help protect your neighbors by respecting these set times and by following social distancing guidance. See a list of stores that have announced hours for Elderly or At-risk Shoppers.
Weekly COVID-19 Community Webinars: Seattle Department of Neighborhoods hosts weekly webinars every Friday from 2:30-4:00 p.m. to connect community to information regarding COVID-19. Each week covers different topics.
NEW OR UPDATED RESOURCES AND SERVICES
For the full list of resources and services, visit www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19.
Free and Charitable Clinics: The Washington Healthcare Access Alliance has this list of free and charitable clinics in Washington state, organized by county.
Public Health – Seattle & King County has this list of community health centers serving King County.
Seattle Area Food Map: Seattle Human Resources Department developed an interactive Food Resource Map that shows the locations of food banks, free meals, and student to-go meal pick-ups. The map can also be filtered by status with options to reflect those open, those with limited operations, and those whose status is unknown.
South King County & Eastside COVID-19 Coronavirus Mutual Aid Group: The grassroots coalition is coordinating grocery drop-offs for “survivors, sick and disabled, immunocompromised, undocumented, black, queer, indigenous, and people of color.” The request form is here.
Crisis Connections: A toll-free, 24-hour helpline at 1-866-427-4747 is available to connect people in physical, emotional, and financial crisis to services. They help to reduce immediate emotional distress and defuse crises for individuals, families, and community members and reduce the immediate risk of violence to one’s self and others.
Seattle Area Free Food Resources: This Google Document is labeled as a “Living Document” that lists organizations and programs offering free food access. It is updated daily by a community member.
United Way of King County Home Base Rent Assistance Fund: United Way of King County (UWKC), City of Seattle, and King County launched this financial aid program for King County residents who have been impacted financially by COVID-19 and are behind on rent. Applicants could qualify for one month of rental assistance. Qualified applicants can also provide their email, and UWKC will inform them if the program reopens.
As of April 14, UWKC is actively fundraising for additional support.
Scholly COVID-19 Student Relief Fund: The app-based scholarship platform Scholly is providing $200 in cash assistance to help provide essential financial help to buy groceries, health supplies, and other necessities to those in need. This grant is available to students, parents of a student, or graduates. Apply as soon as possible.
City of Seattle Utility Discount Program (UDP) Update: The Utility Discount Program (UDP) lowers Seattle City Light bills by 60% and Seattle Public Utility bills by 50%. Income-eligible residential customers can self-certify to join UDP and access heavily discounted utilities by signing a short form that attests to their household income, rather than having to provide income documentation. To learn more, call (206) 684-0268 or email UDP@seattle.gov or visit the Utility Discount Program page.
Residential Evictions in Seattle have been Halted During this Outbreak (Update): Residential evictions for non-payment of rent have been temporarily halted. This is effective immediately and will last for 30 days or until Seattle’s COVID-19 Civil Emergency ends, pending the council’s approval. You can find translated versions of a FAQ about this at the Renting in Seattle page. If your landlord is continuing to threaten to evict you, you can file this COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium Complaint Form with the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.
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Talk to Your Lenders Immediately: Ask your mortgage lender, auto loan provider, student loan provider, or credit card companies about hardship plans or loan forbearance as soon as possible. This could include waiving certain fees and/or delaying or adjusting payments.
Seattle Hospitality Emergency Fund: Community members have started this Fund. They are prioritizing “the people in our community who are ineligible for government assistance, then will focus on those who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and immunocompromised.” You can donate here. Wellspring Family Services is administering this fund. You can apply for aid here.
State Unemployment Benefits for Workers: The Washington State Employment Security Department has programs designed to help workers. It has a comparison guide listing some of the most common scenarios that may occur and benefits that may apply. And now, people who were self-employed, including gig-workers and Uber and Lyft drivers can qualify for this benefit. To apply, you must first create an online SecureAccess Washington account here,
You can also call 800-318-6022, which is open from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM. You can get quickly connected with an interpreter. However, they will not help you fill out the form. They are also are experiencing extremely high call volumes and longer than normal wait times. More about TeleCenter here.
National Foundation for Consumer Credit: You can also talk with a National Foundation for Consumer Credit certified financial counselor about strategies for reducing mortgage, auto loan, student loan, and other debts at 1-844-359-3834 or by visiting https://www.nfcc.org/.
One Fair Wage Emergency Fund: The national One Fair Wage campaign has launched this emergency fund for service workers experiencing hardship. To donate fund or to apply for aid, visit https://ofwemergencyfund.org/help.
Artist Relief Support for Artists Affected by COVID-19: The national coalition Artist Relief has created “an emergency initiative to offer financial and informational resources to artists across the United States.” They are distributing $5,000 grants to artists. To learn more, visit https://www.artistrelief.org/.
Boys & Girls Clubs of King County: Select Boys & Girls Clubs are offering a full days of care for school-aged children. There are no additional costs for current club members, and new teen members would pay a $50 membership fee. New non-teen members would pay a $50 membership fee and a $25/day fee. Scholarships are also available.
Nature Conservancy Nature Lab Educator Resources: The Nature Conservancy in Washington has youth curriculum focused on specific grade ranges, including virtual field trips. You can learn more here about their Nature Lab Educator Resources here.
Evictions for Small Businesses and Nonprofits in Seattle have been Halted During this Outbreak (Update): Evictions of small business and nonprofit tenants in Seattle for non-payment of rent have been temporarily halted. This is effective immediately and will last for 60 days from March 18 or until Seattle’s coronavirus emergency ends, pending the council’s approval. If your landlord is continuing to threaten to evict you, you can file this COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium Complaint Form with the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.
Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) Update:
Small businesses, private nonprofit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives, and small aquaculture enterprises in Seattle and King County are eligible to apply for up to $2 million in low-interest Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to offset economic losses caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can contact the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) for technical assistance by calling (206) 684-8090 (interpretation provided) or by emailing OED@seattle.gov. Or go here. You can also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 (interpretation provided) or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.
WEBSITES
COVID-19 key hubs of online information and resources:
- City of Seattle – www.seattle.gov/covid-19
- Local – www.kingcounty.gov/covid
- State – www.coronavirus.wa.gov
- Federal – https://www.coronavirus.gov/ and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus
CALL CENTERS FOR PUBLIC INQUIRIES
- City of Seattle Customer Service Bureau – 206-684-2489 or 206-684-CITY
To learn more about the services the City is providing. Helpline is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and operators can connect with an external interpreter.
- Public Health-Seattle & King County – 206-477-3977
For residents who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19, or for healthcare providers with COVID-19 questions. Helpline open daily from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. and operators can connect with a third-party interpreter. - Washington State Department of Health – 800-525-0127 and press #
For general questions about how the virus is spread and what to do if you have symptoms. Helpline is open daily from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
E-BULLETINS
- Public Health-Seattle & King County posts regular information updates and news releases on their Public Health Insider blog site. Register your email address to follow the blog and receive notifications of updates.
- Washington State Department of Health issues regular e-newsletter bulletins. Sign-up and manage your subscription preferences.
- The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) issues regular e-bulletins. Sign-up and manage your subscription preferences.
DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
A full list of opportunities can be found here.
City of Seattle PPE Donations Collection – The City partnered with Goodwill Industries and Labor partners to coordinate the collection of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for distribution to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak. To donate, visit here.
King County Regional Donations Connector – Matching donations of money, food, goods, and services to agencies in need: www.kingcounty.gov/emergency/donate. Direct questions to donations@kingcounty.gov.