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Seattle Downtown Neighborhood Service Center Records, 1982-2010

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Neighborhoods
Title
Seattle Downtown Neighborhood Service Center Records
Dates
1982-2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.4 cubic feet, (6 boxes)
Collection Number
5752-04
Summary
Records documenting the activities of the Downtown Neighborhood Service Center.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Seattle has a network of Neighborhood Service Centers located throughout the city to provide citizens with information about Seattle services and programs. The customer service representatives assist more than 225,000 residents each year to obtain pet licences, pay City Light and Combined Utility bills, pay traffic tickets, apply for U.S. passports, and find information about city jobs. District coordinators are involved in neighborhood planning processes, serve as staff to the neighborhood district councils, and provide a wide range of information services to the community.

Seven Community Service Centers were established in 1973 under the direction of the Citizens Service Bureau to provide decentralized local government services to Seattle’s neighborhoods. The program was inspired by Boston’s successful “Little City Halls” concept, but budget constraints made it impossible to create as comprehensive a system. The original sites of the community centers were in the neighborhoods served by the Model City Program.

In 1974, the service center program was transferred to the Department of Human Resources (DHR). Under DHR, the service centers continued to provide decentralized City services, but also expanded into community-based social service delivery. In 1978, four of the centers were designated collection centers where citizens could pay utility bills and resolve billing issues. In addition, senior services, voter registration, animal licensing, and low income energy program assistance were instituted at the centers. During the 1980s and 1990s, the various service centers offered neighborhood legal clinics, IRS tax assistance, health and nutrition services, and a wide variety of other services.

The Department of Neighborhoods (DON) was created in 1991 and jurisdiction over community service centers was transferred from DHR. The Community Service Center Division was created within DON; in 1992 the division name was changed to the Neighborhood Service Centers (NSC) Division. In 1999, the Neighborhood Matching Fund and P-Patch Programs were merged with the NSC to create the Community Building Division. From the 1990s through 2010, the NSC program included staff in thirteen centers, including seven collection centers. Budget cuts forced the closing of six service centers in early 2011.

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Content Description

The Downtown Neighborhood Service Center (DSC) records include correspondence, reports, and other materials documenting the activities of the DSC staff and its interaction with residents of the Central Business District, neighborhood associations, downtown businesses, and the Downtown District Council. The majority of records relate to Belltown, the Denny Triangle neighborhood, Pioneer Square, and the International District. Series includes meeting materials of the Downtown District Council.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle Downtown Neighborhood Service Center Records, Record Series 5752-04. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

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Subject Terms

  • Citizens’ associations--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Municipal services--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Neighborhood government--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Neighborhoods
  • Downtown District Council (Seattle, Wash.)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Scott Cline
2011

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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