Seattle's LGBTQ+ community centers and nonprofits are stretched to the limit. People are arriving in the city after leaving states that passed laws banning transgender health care, restricting bathroom access, and threatening basic safety.

Local groups like Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center and other community organizations are trying to help with housing, legal support, and emergency aid, but they do not have enough money to keep up with the need.

Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck proposed using $300,000 from the city's JumpStart Fund, which is paid for by a tax on the city's largest employers, to support these organizations. A city council committee already voted to move the proposal forward. Now it needs a yes vote from the full Seattle City Council to become real.

This is not a new tax or a surprise expense. The money already exists. The only question left is whether Seattle's leaders will send it where it is needed most.

Every day the vote is delayed, local organizations are left covering costs on their own while trying to help people who left real danger just to feel safe at home. The full Seattle City Council can fix that by approving this funding without further delay.

Sign the petition telling the Seattle City Council to approve the $300,000 in funding now. The community groups holding this city together should not have to wait.