Ending homelessness. Every year, the City spends approximately $40 million to prevent or end homelessness. One of our key strategies is the “Housing First” model, which combines homeless housing with important in-house medical and mental health services and other support programs. National studies have shown homeless families and individuals are more responsive to interventions and social services after they are safely in permanent housing. In 2007, the City helped more than 1,500 homeless households move into transitional or permanent housing and more than 1,000 households stay in their homes thanks to rent assistance and/or eviction prevention programs. The City awarded funding to help create 443 new affordable housing units – 95 in five projects will provide housing with on-site services for chronically homeless high users of services, other homeless individuals and homeless families with children. Six new housing developments were completed and provide new homes to 205 formerly homeless individuals and families with children. Two of the new Housing First developments, Evans House and the Simons Senior Apartments, serve chronically homeless individuals who have been high utilizers of costly services. Seattle’s first two Housing First projects – 1811 Eastlake and Plymouth on Stewart – have saved taxpayers an estimated $3.2 million. Since 2006, Seattle has added more than $6 million for Housing First housing and service programs. Increasing affordable housing opportunities. The Seattle Homes Within Reach property tax exemption program helped create 722 new units of housing, of which at least 543 will be affordable to people earning up to $50,000 annually. The City closed a record number of low-interest loans, helping 131 families – about a third families of color – purchase their first homes. The Downtown Commercial Bonus Program allows developers to add density for office and hotel developments in exchange for contributions to affordable housing and childcare for lower-wage workers. In 2007, this program brought in approximately $10.6 million for affordable housing and $1.8 million for childcare. The Downtown Residential Bonus Program allows developers to add residential gross floor area and height in exchange for affordable housing. This program contributed more than a half a million dollars to fund new affordable housing in downtown Seattle. Adding more park & open space. In 2007 the City finalized a deal to purchase the U.S. Navy’s Capehart housing in Discovery Park, adding 24 acres to the park. More park space is opening up throughout the city by covering our reservoirs – planning is nearly complete for park development atop Beacon and Myrtle reservoirs – which will add 30 acres of new park space by 2010. And by 2013, the reservoir covering program will open up a total of 70 acres of new open space. Improving parks & community centers. The City opened the newly expanded Montlake Community Center, the renovated and doubled in size Van Asselt Community Center, and the expanded Laurelhurst Community Center. We also celebrated the opening of the Maple Leaf Community Garden and Fremont Peak Park with its panoramic view of northwest Seattle. Keeping neighborhoods clean. In 2007, the Mayor launched the “Clean Up Your Act” program, which significantly increases fines for landlords and property owners who refuse to repair dilapidated homes, turn their backyards into junkyards or let bushes and weeds grow out of control. In 2002 the Mayor launched “Clean and Green Seattle,” which has brought City workers and more than 10,100 volunteers together to clean up parks and streets. By the end of 2007, there had been 75 community clean-up events where volunteers collected more than 319,008 pounds of litter and debris, and recycled more than 12,648 pounds of recyclable materials. Reducing City Light rates. The largest reduction in City Light rates in more than 35 years went into effect in January 2007. On average, electric utility rates were reduced by 8.4 percent, an indication of the fiscal health of our utility, the ninth largest public electric utility in the U.S. Supporting immigrants & refugees. By 2010, roughly 120,000 people – almost 20 percent of Seattle residents – could be foreign-born. Mayor Nickels’ commitment to strengthening how City government serves this growing community resulted in the development and implementation of the 2007 Immigrant and Refugee Action Plan. People with limited English proficiency can now call 684-CITY and get the help they need in their own language with the aid of interpreter services. More than 335 individuals now make up the City’s language bank, representing more than 50 languages. Emergency preparedness information was translated into seven languages and distributed throughout Seattle, and an emergency preparedness DVD was translated into nine languages and made available through Seattle Public Schools. A 15-member Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Board was established to advise the Mayor and City Council about issues of concern to immigrant and refugee communities. And the City identified 152 vital documents, such as consent and complaint forms and explanations of City department direct services, for translation into Spanish, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese, Somali, Tagalog, and Korean. Helping at-risk students go to college. The City’s Upward Bound program helps low-income students prepare for college. In 2007 all 16 Upward Bound seniors graduated from high school and 13 are now attending post-secondary institutions. Preparing children to learn. The Families and Education Levy’s annual report for 2006-07 showed successes: 326 preschool children entered kindergarten ready to succeed; 1,416 Seattle Public School students met grade-level standards; and 4,911 students were immunized. Although Levy programs met or exceeded second year goals, the achievement gap persists. But there were important gains toward closing the gap in math. These results will be used to set new goals for the 2007-08 school year. Helping neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Matching Fund awarded nearly $3 million to 188 community-based projects all over Seattle. Neighborhood groups have matched this with more than $4 million in donated goods, funds, and volunteer labor. The P-Patch program added one new garden this year, bringing the total to 69, serving about 6,000 households throughout Seattle. Activating the center city with art. The Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park transformed a brown field into an art-studded green belt connecting the city to the waterfront. More than half a million people visited the park in 2007. The City’s investment in the sculpture park totaled $6.1 million. SAM’s expanded downtown museum opened, with double the public and exhibition space. Providing healthy recreation for children. New neighborhood parks with play features were completed at Ella Bailey Park in Magnolia, two adjacent parks in Delridge, and John C. Little Park in the New Holly neighborhood. Also, in partnership with the Advisory Council, an expanded Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center was completed; and in partnership with the Audubon Society, an environmental learning center at Seward Park was renovated. There are newly renovated parks at Brighton Playfield Science Park in the Rainier Valley, Dahl Playfield in northeast Seattle, and at Georgetown Playfield. Preparing youth for work. The Seattle Youth Employment Program provided work-readiness training, personal guidance, educational support, leadership development, and post-secondary education assistance to 479 youth from low-income families and diverse ethnic backgrounds. The program placed 403 of these youth in work-readiness internships. Of 84 youth eligible for graduation, 38 percent are enrolled in post-secondary education and 57 percent are employed. Meeting seniors’ needs. In 2007 in Seattle and King County, the City provided services to approximately 9,400 older adults and adults with disabilities to help them remain in their own homes, and helped 521 older job seekers enter employment, at an average wage of $13.14 per hour. Opening libraries all over Seattle. Four renovated branches opened in 2007, bringing to 25 the number of projects completed under the “Libraries for All” building program. Residents in Broadview and Southwest Seattle were delighted to have larger branches and Queen Anne and University District patrons were happy to see the historical character of their library buildings preserved. Opening the expanded Seattle Aquarium. The expanded Seattle Aquarium opened in June 2007 after a $41 million renovation project, $24 million from the City and $17 million raised by the Seattle Aquarium Society. It features new exhibits, a new Alaskan Way entry, a new café/catering facility, expanded gift shop and the Puget Sound Hall. Attendance has increased 25 percent since the opening.