The Eastside Human Services Forum is pleased to announce that the city councils in five major cities in East King County – Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, and Mercer Island – all approved increases in funding for human services in 2009-2010, increasing the total investment in human services to more than $5.7 million.

As the Kirkland City Council faced tough budget decisions, closing a $19 million biennial budget gap, they chose to increase funding for Human Services, to make sure their citizens in need have resources. Kirkland City Council increased its human services funding 8 percent for a total of $1.128 million for 2009-2010, or $564,395 annually.

Part of this increase was financial support from Evergreen Hospital and Healthcare ($24,000) to help aid the community. This increased funding will support current service levels, with some additions for Hopelink’s Emergency Feeding Program and Emergency Services, YWCA Homeless Women’s Day Center, Friends of Youth Healthy Start program and Services for Homeless Youth, Senior Services Volunteer Transportation Program, Eastside Baby Corner, and Eastside Domestic Violence Community Advocate Program (with funds transferred from the Kirkland Police Department). In addition, and in response to the difficult economic time, City Council will consider establishing an Emergency fund for Human Services at an upcoming meeting in March.