Local Human Services Organizations Seek Funding Support from Redmond
By Colleen Kelly, Human Services Manager

Redmond wants to ensure that all its residents - including those with low income - can access critical human services when needed.  To do that, the City has historically set aside a portion of its general fund with the specific purpose of supporting local organizations that provide those services to Redmond residents.  Every two years, the city’s human services staff run a grant application process to determine which organizations are seeking funding support from Redmond for the coming biennium.

This year, Redmond partnered with 16 other North, East, and South King County cities to implement a new, online human services application process.  This process allowed local agencies an opportunity to apply for 2011-2012 funding from any combination of the 17 cities through a single, online grant application. Though somewhat daunting to implement, this process has created significant efficiencies for both cities and agencies.

At the close of the application process in April, Redmond had received applications from 70 programs, with requests totaling over $1 million for each year.  For 2011-2012 we anticipate having about $665,000 available to allocate each year.  Total requests are up by almost 20% over two years ago, but the anticipated dollars available to allocate are up by just over 1%.  Given that many agencies have been experiencing funding cuts from other government, philanthropic and private fund sources, we are not surprised by the increase in requests.  Many of these agencies have been experiencing increased demand for their services even as their revenues are declining which will make the allocations task all the more difficult.

It is the job of the city’s new Human Services Commission to take on the challenging task of recommending how the city’s dollars should be spent.  Commissioners will be responsible for reading all 70 applications, rating each one and then working together to develop specific funding allocation recommendations for the City Council to consider.   A study session for the Human Services Commission and the City Council is tentatively planned for September 28, 2010.  At this meeting the commission will present its specific funding recommendations to the City Council.

Additional information about the City’s Human Services Commission can be found at the Commission’s webpage.