Seattle Human Services Coalition

Video from last week's packed candidate forum is up! Unsure who to vote for? Watch the video below to learn more about the candidates for Seattle Mayor, City Attorney, and City Council. Make your voice heard by casting an informed vote!

SHSC held its Human Services Candidate Forum at El Centro de la Raza’s Centilia Cultural Center in Beacon Hill on October 9, 2025. The forum was free and open to everyone. It offered voters an opportunity to learn where each candidate stands on important community issues, including homelessness, housing, food insecurity, healthcare access, support for youth and seniors, and ending gender-based violence, among others.

Marcia Wright-Soika, Executive Director of FamilyWorks and co-chair of SHSC’s City Budget Task Force, served as the event’s moderator, guiding the discussion and keeping the conversation focused on key issues. SHSC member organizations prepared questions, and the audience also asked the candidates a handful of questions.

FareStart provided food for the event, and a voter registration table was also on-site.

SHSC thanks its generous sponsors: Ballard Food Bank, Chinese Information and Service Center, Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence, Crisis Connections, El Centro De La Raza, OPEIU Local 8, Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, Seattle Women’s Commission, Rainier Valley Food Bank, and University District Food Bank.

SHSC also thanks the wonderful audience members, who were so engaged and provided many of the night’s candidate questions. And thanks to our sign language interpreters, David Smith and Anne Del Vecchio, timekeeper Yamila Sterling, childcare providers B and Kelsey, the many volunteers, including Mockingbird Society Youth, SHSC Co-Chairs Jen Muzia and Amarinthia Torres, and lastly, the incredible Candidate Forum Committee, who spent months organizing the forum.

Lastly, thank you to all the candidates who joined us and shared their visions for a just and thriving Seattle!

*All candidates for the above races were invited to participate*

**As a nonprofit organization, SHSC does not make candidate endorsements or show preference toward any candidate. This effort constitutes nonpartisan voter education allowed under state and federal law to help you evaluate each candidate according to their articulation of their beliefs, policy priorities, and solutions to the challenges of helping Seattle residents reach their full potential.**

SHSC's 2025 Candidate Forum SHSC held its Human Services Candidate Forum at El Centro de la Raza’s Centilia Cultural Center in Beacon Hill, on October 9, 2025. The event featured candid...

Join us on October 9 for our Human Services Candidate Forum, where we will host candidates for Mayor, City Attorney, and City Council. RSVP today!

Questions for the forum have been prepared by our member organizations, but we are also encouraging questions from the audience.

Food will be provided by FareStart. Childcare services and sign language interpretation will be available, and a voter registration table will be on-site.

This event is free and open to the public and helps educate voters about each candidate’s positions on the issues facing our communities. These issues include homelessness, housing, food insecurity, access to quality healthcare, support for youth and seniors, and ending gender-based violence, among others.

The forum will be moderated by Marcia Wright-Soika, Executive Director of FamilyWorks, and co-chair of SHSC’s City Budget Task Force.

Thank you to our generous sponsors: Crisis Connections, Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence, Ballard Food Bank, University District Food Bank, Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank, Chinese Information and Service Center, Rainier Valley Food Bank, and El Centro De La Raza.

Address:
El Centro de la Raza’s
Centilia Cultural Center in Beacon Hill
1660 South Roberto Maestas Festival Street

Doors open at 5:30 PM; the program runs from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

We encourage you to RSVP, but walk-ins are welcome.

We invite you to bring friends and networks and help spread the word for the Oct. 9 candidate forum!

2025 Human Services Candidate Forum The Seattle Human Services Coalition officially invites you to the 2025 Human Services Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 9th!