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One thousand more Seattle residents in need will receive monthly food benefit with Fresh Bucks

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Fresh Bucks will add 1,000 new customers from the program wait list this October, providing a much needed food benefit as families across the city struggle to meet basic needs. This is in addition to 8,000 households already enrolled.

Virtual cooking class at InterIm CDA

Fresh Bucks, a healthy food program focused on getting more fruits and vegetables into the hands of families with low incomes, provides enrollees with $40 in monthly benefits to purchase fruits and vegetables from participating Seattle retailers.

Earlier this year Seattle residents applied for Fresh Bucks Vouchers through community enrollment partners or a public lottery application. Fresh Bucks initially enrolled over 8,000 customers and placed 4,800 applications on a waitlist due to limited funding. Now 1,000 families will be moved off the waitlist to receive Fresh Bucks healthy food vouchers. All 2020 customers, including the 1,000 new customers, will receive monthly Fresh Bucks benefits through the end of the program year in May 2021.

This monthly food benefit comes during a particularly difficult time as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted low-income households and communities of color.

Eliza Guan from InterIm CDA, one of ten Fresh Bucks community partners said, “Fresh Bucks vouchers help our community in a number of ways. Clients are trying new recipes and cooking together in virtual settings, which promotes socialization and community connection. And vouchers are essential in helping families on a tight budget afford healthy food during the pandemic when grocery prices have been on the rise.”

In the Seattle area, food insecurity has nearly doubled in recent months with families reporting they do not have enough to eat or could not afford to buy more food. Enrollment for Basic Food assistance, more commonly known as food stamps, has also increased by 18% among King County residents, or 17,300 households. Latinx, Black, and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities have disproportionately sought out food assistance compared to other groups.

“COVID-19 has presented many challenges and we know our community members are experiencing an increased need for food assistance,” said Jessica Finn Coven, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment. “Serving an additional 1,000 families with Fresh Bucks benefits will provide relief for families in need while the city continues to coordinate additional support during this ongoing crisis.”

Fresh Bucks is administered by the Office of Sustainability and Environment and funded by Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT).

Fresh Bucks is one of many programs offering food assistance in the Seattle area. The city has collaborated with partners to provide additional food-related support such as meal sites, food box home delivery, funding for food banks, and more. Families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can visit the Mayor’s COVID-19 Community Resource Page for details, information and web links for City of Seattle, King County, Washington State, federal, and community programs and services.

King Conservation Grant Process Now Open

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Deadline is October 19

Each year the King Conservation District (KCD) provides funds through the Seattle Community Partnership Grant program to improve natural resources and advance environmental equity. The Office of Sustainability and Environment partners with KCD on the application process which opens today. The deadline to apply is Monday, October 19. Learn more and apply here.

Photo courtesy of King Conservation District

OSE and KCD staff are offering technical assistance to help project leaders fine tune project ideas and submit a strong application. Additionally, OSE is offering two online information sessions to learn more about the application and project review process. Those sessions are September 30 and October 2 and you can RSVP here.

The COVID-19 pandemic does not change the need for improved natural resources and access to healthy food and open space, and in many cases, it amplifies that need.  The focus of this year’s grant round continues to be investing in natural resource improvements that are led by or in deep partnership with communities disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice and systematic racism. We know COVID-19 has also disproportionately impacted many of the same communities. This year’s grant will take into consideration unique needs to continue doing natural resource and environmental justice work amidst a pandemic. 

Projects must focus on equity and the environment, addressing at least one natural resource priority area and related action and at least one Equity and Environment Initiative strategy. You can see an overview of these requirements in the grant guidelines posted on the KCD website.  

Benchmarking Enforcement Action Delayed for Non-Compliant Buildings

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In response to the ongoing pandemic, owners will have until 1/1/2021 before enforcement action is pursued. At that time, owners that remain non-compliant with SMC 22.920 will be subject to 2nd quarter fines based on building size. See the Energy Benchmarking enforcement page for more information. 

If you need help complying or have questions about benchmarking, contact he help desk at energybenchmarking@seattle.gov or 206-727-8484.

Environmental Justice Fund Now Accepting Proposals

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The Environmental Justice Fund is a grant opportunity for community-led projects that improve environmental conditions, respond to impacts of climate change, and get us closer to acheiving environmental justice. The application process is now open. Deadline is Friday, September 25.

OSE staff are offering technical assistance to help project leaders fine tune project ideas and submit a strong application. Additionally, OSE is offering two online information session to learn more about the application and project review process. Those sessions are Thursday, September 10 at 11 am and Monday, September 14 at 5:30 pm. RSVP for either session here.

Seattle’s Environmental Justice Committee plays a critical role in the oversight of the fund. The Committee’s goal is to deepen the influence of communities fo color in City environmental programs to ensure that the stories, experiences, and policy priorities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color shape Seattle’s environmental work. The Committee is guided by the Equity & Environmental Agenda, a roadmap to advance race and social justice within Seattle’s environmental work.

This year $500,000 is available for projects thanks to a $250,000 match from Seattle’s Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD). Projects will be awarded no less than $10,000 and no more than $60,000 for an 18-month period beginning January 2021. We thank our colleagues at OPCD for their contribution to the Fund with aligns with the framework of the Equitable Develoment Initiative.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Pah-tu Pitt

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Pah-tu Pitt G. is the Co-Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee and currently works on advocacy for indigenous climate change resiliency, sustainable economic development, and grassroots organizing at regional and local levels in the Pacific Northwest and Seattle.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?
More broadly, I think people often think of environmental justice as the connection between marginalized people and their experience of environmental pollution. But I think it goes beyond that, into our relationship with the land and the beings within it. I noticed that you’d need credentials to have any type of stature in advocacy, because too often environmental work doesn’t address environmental justice, like the health of people in an area. Once when I was young, I went to the senior center at my tribe, where a woman from the Yakama Nation spoke with us. She recounted how many times she had beaten cancer. I knew that at some point, she would not beat it. This moment was very impactful for me. I felt it would be important to do work to make sure that this would never happen to our people, especially her being from one of our sister tribes. I felt a very strong commitment to her story, and I wanted to promote the health of our people through environmental work.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?
When I was in college, I made a webinar about Billy Frank, Jr. from the Nisqually tribe. He’s famous, but many people in his movement worked collectively. The issues we’re facing now are global ones, one individual alone isn’t going to solve them. I think looking for silver bullets is a very Western idea; whether it’s one idea or one person. As far as environmental leadership, being able to see beyond yourself, thinking about the future but also looking to the past, are all great qualities of real environmental leadership. I also think not enough people are being called environmental leaders, when they do make small actions toward helping the environment. These steps often go uncredited.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within the EJC?
I think part of my background is the education I have, but more than that is my own life experience. I’ve lived in polluted spaces, and my tribe experienced the collective trauma of the damming of the Columbia River. I know what it means to be hurt by “progress,” or “the greater good of society.” All of these things have helped form me into someone who can stand for my own truth, while also recognizing that within this space, I stand up for other people as well. Within the EJC, there is that sentiment that though we all have our own individual community issues, we won’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

How do you see your community coming together in response to COVID-19?
Because I have a baby and my husband’s an essential worker, I’ve been keeping to myself more than usual. But through my environmental justice professional connections, and Daybreak Star, I was immediately offered assistance. Daybreak Star has a doula program, and they’ve done organizing around making sure that folks have access to groceries and baby essentials; then Unkitawa, an Indigenous cultures nonprofit, also offered me medicine bundles. I’m seeing community really coming together in the online realm, even if we can’t be together in person. At home, I’ve been doing a lot of gardening, native plants and some abundantly producing crops so we have some to share. I’ve seen a lot of generosity happening within the BIPOC farming community, and by the family or household level, of connecting with and helping heal our landscapes. We’re all part of a larger fabric, and the more we can all see beyond ourselves, the better. 

What do you hope to see EJC accomplish in the next year?
We’re trying to create more visibility for issues identified through our own analysis, pushing community-driven solutions and finding support for them. There’s amazing environmental justice work being done in Seattle, and they unfortunately don’t always receive enough visibility. The EJC can shine a spotlight on these efforts. It’s exciting for me to see how all the different communities in Seattle are able to come together to create these solutions, and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Jaimée Marsh

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Jaimée joined the EJC in 2020 and participates on the Healthy Environment for All Sub-committee. They currently serve as Executive Director of FEEST, a non-profit organization centering youth as leaders working towards school food systems change in Seattle and South King County. 

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?Growing up, I lived really close to the Spokane River, and I remember adults talking about pollution in the water, which meant there were times we couldn’t eat what we’d caught. I became really mindful of these environmental problems, and I started asking myself, “what can we do to stop companies and industries from polluting our natural resources?” As I step into a leadership role within the world of environmental justice, my goal is to create space for young people’s voices to be heard in the environmental justice movement, as they’re deeply impacted by environmental issues. The particular lens that I’m approaching environmental justice in right now is through food access, especially looking at food apartheid and the ways that racism is embedded in our systems and in our built environment, reducing people’s access to fresh, healthy food. When I think about what environmental justice means in that context, it’s this: how do we create and expand access to fresh and healthy food for young people and their families?

What does environmental leadership look like to you?
Leadership looks like centering the people who are most impacted by environmental injustices, and in the neighborhoods where I work in South Seattle and South King County, they represent some of the greatest impacted communities by environmental hazards mentioned in the Equity and Environment Agenda. At the same time, they are also experiencing issues surrounding food access, meaning they are navigating multiple marginalities. Leadership looks like paving the way and removing barriers for the voices of those young people and families in the community who are most impacted by environmental injustice, and hearing from them about what the best solutions for their communities look like.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within the EJC?
A lot of my work has been focused on centering youth voice, but my lens on food justice and food access was shaped by work I did in Detroit, over ten years ago. At that time, I was doing my social work practicum, working on several youth-led, community-based projects. Some of those projects involved going to parks and finding out ways to transform these spaces to better serve their communities, or going to farmers markets and working with community health centers in the area to figure out how we could create greater access to fresh produce, as these areas also exist in a food apartheid state. We would also do community assessments with youth groups, where we would start at the top of one street, and follow it all the way down, writing and taking photos to describe what we saw in these communities. Students described a lot of blight prevalent in these neighborhoods: abandoned homes, rusty nails in the street, stray dogs, all things that kids would see even on their way to school. They also noticed a disproportionate amount of alcohol advertising, along with a lack of access to grocery stores. Where there were stores, often food was noticeably unfresh. Many students said their main source of food was corner shops, so we connected with local farmers to bring fresh produce to these places, making it more accessible to the community. That was a transformative experience for me, in terms of how I thought about the ways that community can come together to shape public health outcomes.

How do you see your community coming together in response to COVID-19?
I’ve been really inspired by the mutual aid efforts I see popping up all around the city. When schools closed in March, we at FEEST were no longer able to run our dinner program, and our campaign meetings had to move online. We pivoted pretty quickly, listening to our young people about their needs at the time, and we asked, what can we do? What’s within our capacity to help out with? And we decided that grocery delivery would be one of the best ways to break down some of the access barriers our community is dealing with right now. Many of the youth we work with are living in multi-generational homes, so if folks are going out of the house, they could be unintentionally sharing it with vulnerable people at home. We thought that doing contactless delivery of free groceries was one of the best ways we can serve our community and ensure that access needs are met, especially in South Seattle. We established a system where families can submit their grocery lists to us, including items like produce, other food staples, cleaning supplies, and diapers; we pick up the goods and offer contactless delivery to any family with students at Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth, Evergreen, and Tyee High Schools. In a way, it’s a great opportunity for us to get the word out about FEEST and our goals surrounding food justice, because we’re able to reach more students and families in the school than we might have been able to just by meeting in classrooms after school. So far, we’ve served over 400 families with free groceries, and we’re continuing the program through June.

What do you hope to see EJC accomplish in the next year?
I’m excited to get out in the community and hear from people, to bridge the knowledge of the community with that of the committee. Obviously, that may look different moving forward, so I’m excited for the creative ideas we come up with to keep up with engagement and tap into our community’s experiences and needs at this time, getting their ideas for how we can be most responsive. I deeply believe that the people who are most impacted have the best solutions on how to address any given issue. Making sure that we’re out there hearing from our community any way that we can is a big priority of ours in the EJC.

Continuing to Support Community with COVID Relief Food Assistance

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In March, Seattle was one of the first cities in the nation to launch an emergency grocery voucher program for families who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial $5 million investment provided vouchers to 6,250 low-income families to help them purchase food, cleaning supplies, and other household goods at any Safeway store in Washington State.

Since March, the number of families served has grown to 8,690 and by September, the City will be serving over 10,000 families with emergency grocery vouchers. Assuming four people per household, that translates to supporting over 40,000 Seattle residents with their monthly grocery needs.

The Office of Sustainability & Environment continues to partner with community-based organizations to distribute the vouchers, with a focus on recently displaced workers who are unable to access other forms of government aid due to structural or institutional barriers, like language barriers, fear of deportation, or experiencing gender-based violence. Partner organizations include: Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), API Chaya, Casa Latina, Entre Hermanos, Fair Work Center (and their partner organizations), Ingersoll Gender Center, Lake City Collective, Providence Regina House, Refugee Women’s Alliance, United Indians, Villa Comunitaria, and West African Community Council.

Partner organizations are determining voucher recipients based on the lists of clients and households they support in their work.

The partner organizations recently shared some examples of how the emergency voucher program is providing critical support for our residents in need. One comment from a voucher recipient:

“I really needed the extra support and got it from the City program…I appreciate the care the City took to provide these vouchers to my family . My family was impacted when Childhaven closed their doors . My kiddos ate breakfast, lunch, and snack at the facility 5 days a week – such a big hit my budget. Thanks to the City of Seattle for helping so many during uncertain times.”

Households receive $400 a month for their first three months in the program and $180 a month thereafter. Benefits can be used to purchase anything at Safeway stores except for alcohol, tobacco, gift cards, and lottery. Currently, 67% of the participants identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), 8% identify as White, and 25% prefer not to provide race/ethnicity information. Additionally, 48% prefer a language other than English.

Assistance Available for 2020 Environmental Justice Fund Applications

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Each year the Office of Sustainability’s Equity & Environment Initiative (EEI) distributes approximately $250,000 to support the improvement of environmental and health conditions in response to climate change with the goal of advancing environmental justice for communities who experience the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation first and worst.

2020 Environmental Justice Fund application opens August 24th. Wonder if your project qualifies? We’re glad to offer assistance! Fill out this quick survey (optional) and we will get in touch to set up a call. Note that this is not the final application.  

Across the United States, race is the most significant predictor of a person living near contaminated air, water, or soil. It is for this reason that this funding is aimed to support efforts that are led by and benefit the people most affected by environmental and climate issues: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth and elders.  

The links between environmental heath, community health, race and social justice and the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic are stark.  The Office of Sustainability & Environment knows that COVID-19 is impacting our communities in ways that we are just beginning to understand. The 2020 application will be modified to focus specifically on community resilience needs because of impacts by COVID-19 at the nexus of environmental and climate justice.  

Criteria for projects should include community-defined solutions that improve environmental and community health & well-being and respond to impacts of climate change and COVID-19. Projects may be focused on capacity building, ongoing visioning, community education, collaboration or other efforts that address climate preparedness, air quality, food insecurity, green jobs, and other environmental and climate justice issues.   

There is no Environmental Justice Without Racial Justice

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The Office of Sustainability & Environment stands in solidary with the Black community and supports the goals of Black Lives Matter. Our mission is to create policies and programs that decrease racial disparities and propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and fossil fuel free future. We cannot achieve this mission without dismantling systemic racism, and specifically anti-Blackness, throughout City government.  

Like climate change, there is no panacea to solve 400 years of oppression against and exploitation of Black people. We are proud of the work we have done as an office since 2015 to advance racial equity through our environmental and sustainability work. While our goal has been to design polices that serve the needs of those who are hardest hit by climate change and environmental pollution, we know we can do more, especially as it pertains to centering the voices and needs of our Black communities. We acknowledge the role city governments have played in perpetuating systemic racism, that we have fallen short of building true racial equity. We commit to using our power and privilege as a City department to dismantle institutional racism and anti-Blackness.

We are City employees, but we are also individuals. We share the outrage and disgust many across our nation are feeling in the wake of murders of Black Americans, and acknowledge the violence specifically perpetrated against Black trans individuals. We cannot and will not remain silent.

To those who are calling for change – We hear you. We stand with you. We believe Black Lives Matter. We know there can be no environmental justice without racial justice. We commit today to develop and share publicly a series of concrete actions OSE will take to break down systemic racism and fight climate change in Seattle. Even though these actions must be guided by an inclusive process that centers Black and Brown voices to achieve greater and more sustained change, we will begin with the following – to be completed within 30 days:

  • Coordinate a fundraising effort to support organizations that are doing critical work in advancing solutions for Black communities, including a voluntary donation effort (financial or in-kind) at OSE and challenging other City departments and external partners to join us
  • Organize a series of days of action or service in support of the Black Lives Matter movement
  • Identify strategies and actions to learn more, center, and dismantle anti-Blackness in OSE’s work

Black liberation is collective liberation, and we’re ready to get to work.  

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Dennis Comer

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Dennis Comer, a small business owner and former military officer, serves as the Executive Director for the Central Area Collaborative. A founding member of the Central Area Collaborative and Central Area Land Use Review Committee, his work within the community helped facilitate the creation of Central Area Design Guidelines and a Central Area Design Review Board, which he worked as a member of.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

One of the things that motivates me is, when you’re serving a community that’s disenfranchised, aside from paying rent, food, shelter, and affordable housing, the next piece is health, which is a product of environmental concern. Many times, lower-income neighborhoods are located near landfills, or in areas with industrial pollution. So we wanted to make sure that in the Central Area, there was some organization that was looking at that as a part of the whole environmental justice strategy. The EJC acted as a place to plug in and create a two-way communication channel with these communities in Seattle.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

To me, it’s maintaining awareness of what’s going on at all levels, from federal, to state, to the local levels; staying engaged in the scientific community to see what’s new and possible, and making sure that you as a leader can serve as a point of contact or guidance for your community members. There are always folks interested in learning more, they just might not know how to access this information. For example, all the buildings folks are talking about LEED certification, while from the community standpoint, they’re saying, “I just need a place to stay.” You have to know how to explain why these environmentally-friendly features are so important, and how they can ultimately benefit a neighborhood.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

I’m a retired military officer, so leadership’s pretty much second nature. It’s helped me take a neutral stand and make sure that I’m hearing both sides of a situation. On the one side, environmentalists may be saying, “the world is ending tomorrow.” But somebody needs to say, “well let’s balance that because today people need to live.” For a leader, that means approaching issues with patience, the ability to calm folks down, and balancing competing priorities, bridging gaps basically. For the EJC, because of my familiarity with issues in the Central Area like affordability, gentrification, displacement, and senior housing, I’m able to synthesize information and see where we can take advantage of what’s out there, moving the community forward without favoring one side or another.

How do you see your community coming together in response to COVID-19?

The Central Area Collaborative oversees the administration of small business relief funds. When all this started, we knew how it would affect our local businesses. So we took the community funding we had and provided ten immediate $500 grants to several Central Area businesses that we know are hurting. On our website, there’s a video of one of our leadership committee members, Hayward Watson, going to businesses with a check. You can see the excitement; no one just hands out money. While our community is waiting for funding from the national and state level, this was our way of providing a quick band-aid and letting the City know that we can mobilize quickly since we live in these neighborhoods. We’re now looking at doing another round of grants, hopefully up to 40 businesses this time. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s something, and can be used for anything these businesses need in the meantime while waiting for other funds.

What are you looking forward to in your next year working with the EJC?

I am looking forward to exploring how the impacts of COVID-19 have helped or harmed our community’s environmental posture. To find out what lessons are being learned through this pandemic that may help change the way we do business as it relates to the environment and climate justice.

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.