Transportation is currently the second highest household cost after housing, disproportionately affecting cost-burdened households in Seattle. Thus, in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Seattle Housing Authority is exploring strategies to implement affordable transportation options while also helping SDOT define broader transportation equity goals and strategies city-wide.

On October 21st, SHA, in partnership with SDOT, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, King County Metro, Car2Go, and Seattle’s bike sharing companies (LimeBike, Spin, and Ofo), hosted a transit resource fair at the Yesler Community Center. With more than 250 in attendance, the fair featured information stations about every kind of transit or mobility service offered to Yesler neighbors. In 2016, SDOT hosted similar events at Rainier Vista.  A big part of SHA's work involved taking the lessons learned from these efforts and applying them at Yesler.

Yesler Transit Fair by the numbers:

• 240 people attended the event (not accounting for children and youth) and were engaged via in-language support around Transportation & Mobility Options information by transportation providers
• 29 people received New or Renewed ORCA LIFT Enrollments and received a $108-value pre-loaded card
• 48 people received $36 Transben Transit Vouchers
• 49 people received $54 Transben Transit Vouchers
• 74 people received $54 Transben Transit Vouchers to add value to their existing Regional Reduce Fair Permits (RRFP)
• 10 Youth ORCA cards were issued
• 70 surveys detailing the transit experience and needs of Yesler’s residents were submitted