About Neighborhoods

Programs and Services

Through its programs and services, the Department of Neighborhoods provides a range of resources to help Seattle residents and neighbors build strong communities and improve their community's quality of life. Our goal is for neighbors in Seattle to create a stronger sense of place and build stronger ties with their communities and local government.

Neighborhood Matching Fund: The Neighborhood Matching Fund is a resource to neighbors who build a stronger community by working together to realize a vision for their neighborhoods. Residents applying for Matching Funds promise to match the award with their own contribution of cash, volunteer labor, or donated goods and services.

P-Patch Community Gardens: The P-Patch Program works with neighborhoods to build and manage 69 community gardens throughout Seattle. Cultivating Communities and the Market Garden program reach out to low-income, immigrant communities and youth to provide a range of gardening opportunities.

Involving All Neighbors: Involving all neighbors promotes neighborhood involvement by those who have traditionally been marginalized. Residents with developmental disabilities, and others who have faced barriers to inclusion, use the strategies and resources developed in this program to more fully contribute to the community life of their neighborhood.

Neighborhood Plan Updates: Neighborhood Plans are a resident-designed framework for each of the planning areas as outlined in the early 1990's. The Department ensures plan progress over their 20 year implementation period working closely with other City departments, and will be working toward updating some plans at a future date.

Neighborhood District Coordinators: Each of the City's 13 Neighborhood Service Centers has a Neighborhood District Coordinator who facilitates and links neighborhood communities with downtown City government. The Coordinators work with hundreds of neighborhood organizations on a wide range of projects and issues.

Neighborhood Payment and Information Services: At seven of the 13 Neighborhood Service Centers, customer service representatives assist over 225,000 residents each year apply for passports, pay Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities bills, buy pet licenses and bus passes, learn about City services, and obtain necessary City forms.

Major Institutions and Neighborhood Project Management: The Department of Neighborhoods provides staffing for the volunteer Citizen Advisory Committees that review and comment on the City's 13 Major Institutions' draft master plans. In addition, the Department provides project management to a wide range of complex projects which further the goals and implement the Neighborhood Plans.

Finance and Accounting: The team ensures financial stewardship of over $33.5 million in multiple revenue sources and over $16.5 million in expenditures each year and provides full financial and accounting services ranging from payroll to contract administration to the Department's staff and vendors.

Human Resources/Administration: The team supports the department staff of over 92 employees in the areas of employee hiring, development, separation, training, ergonomics, EEO investigation, performance management, and ADA accommodation and provides primary staffing for the department's reception.

Facility Management: Staff is responsible for addressing facility needs at 15 different offices located throughout the City.

Information Technology: The team provides technology services (hardware and software technical support, network administration, web design and development, and database administration and development) to the Department's staff in the Seattle Municipal Tower, Neighborhood Service Centers, and the Customer Service Bureau.