Helpline
Providing financial assistance.
Pathways to financial assistance are often limited or non-existant for our South Seattle neighbors. Our helpline provides our guests with one-time financial assistance for past-due rent, utilities, and moving costs. A simple offer of solidarity that ensures that our neighbors stay housed, and maintain access to the resources they need.
New helpline eligibility requirements
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we made changes to our Helpline program to better serve our community. We are sharing an update on the new eligibility requirements for our financial assistance program. These criteria have been thoughtfully developed over time and are grounded in our core values of equity, care, and fairness. The new eligibility criterion has been updated to better reflect and support our program’s primary purpose: to offer South Seattle residents a last resort, one-time financial assistance.
If you have any questions or need additional resources, please contact our Helpline team at helpline@rvfb.org or call our front desk at 206-723-4105.
About our Helpline
RVFB’s Helpline is considered a last resort for financial assistance. Our program provides one-time assistance. If you have received funding through our program, you cannot apply again for 12 months. If you do not receive funding, you may reapply for the following month by completing a new application.
Updated eligibility requirements effective July 1st. Please see below for Rental, Utility, and Move-In updated requirements:
Rental Assistance
Must live in and or be moving to the following zip codes: 98144, 98118, 98178, 98108, 98106, 98134
Must demonstrate access to consistent income, can be applied to rent, within the past three months, have a signed offer letter for future employment, and/or public benefits award letter(s) *SNAP benefits do not qualify as income that can be applied to rent*
Must not have been awarded financial assistance by the Rainier Valley Food Bank Helpline more than 2 times
Cannot have more than 2 incomplete applications on file
Must have applied to at least one other financial assistance program before applying to our program
The past due amount cannot be more than 2x your monthly rent
Landlords must accept partial payments
Utility Assistance
Must live in and or be moving to the following zip codes: 98144, 98118, 98178, 98108, 98106, 98134
Must demonstrate access to consistent income, can be applied to rent, within the past three months, have a signed offer letter for future employment, and/or public benefits award letter(s) *SNAP benefits do not qualify as income that can be applied to rent*
Must not have been awarded financial assistance by the Rainier Valley Helpline more than 2 times
Cannot have more than 2 incomplete applications on file
Must have applied to a utility provider’s discount program (SPU discount programs, PSE discount program, energy assistance program for King County residents): it does not matter if you are waiting for a response, funded, or denied
The past due amount cannot be more than 2 past due utility bills
Move-in Assistance
Must live in and or be moving to the following zip codes: 98144, 98118, 98178, 98108, 98106, 98134
Must demonstrate access to consistent income that, can be applied to rent, within the past three months, have a signed offer letter for future employment, and/or public benefits award letter(s)*SNAP benefits do not qualify as income that can be applied to rent*
Must not have been awarded financial assistance by the Rainier Valley Food Bank Helpline more than 2 times
Cannot have more than 2 incomplete applications on file
Applicants requesting move-in assistance must have an approved lease and be scheduled to move in within 2 months of the application date.
The move-in amount cannot be more than 2x your monthly rent
Landlords must accept partial payments
How to Apply:
Step One: Complete our eligibility screening questionnaire to confirm your eligibility to apply for financial assistance.
Step Two: If you are eligible, you will receive a registration link to schedule a meeting with a Community Connector between the 1st and 10th of the month (or until all appointment slots are filled). During this in-person meeting, you will complete your Helpline application and submit the required documents (e.g., valid ID, rental ledger, and/or overdue utility bills). Applications that are not accompanied by the required documents at the time of the meeting will not be accepted.
Step Three: Submitting an application does not guarantee funding. Funding decisions will be announced via email from the helpline@rvfb.org during the fourth week of the month.
Step Four: Applications are randomly selected to ensure an equitable process for all applicants. Approved applicants will receive a Landlord Agreement letter from RVFB to be signed by their landlord. This agreement must confirm acceptance of a partial payment and include all required information, including the correct payment address. The completed agreement must be signed and returned in order to receive financial assistance.
Before filling out our eligibility questionnaire, please note the following:
The maximum amount of assistance available through our helpline per applicant is $600.
Any approved funds will be paid directly to the landlord. Funds are not provided to the applicant directly.
Applications are accepted from the 1st through the 10th of each month. To apply, you must schedule an appointment with a Community Connector through a link provided by RVFB after eligibility is confirmed.
Please note appointments are available on a first come first serve basis. The questionnaire will close when all appointment slots are filled. Applicants can apply again next month, once the questionnaire re-opens the last full week of the month.
During the application review process, we may need to contact your building management and may need to contact partner agencies. By filing out this application, you consent to this communication.
Purposeful misrepresentation of requested information will result in automatic application rejection.
Questions?
If you would like to speak to us about other resources available to you or have questions about your application, please call 206-535-4712 or email helpline@rvfb.org to schedule an appointment with a team member.
In 2025…
192
applications received.
47
applications funded.
$510,948
funds requested.
$24,842
funds distributed.