Community Data
For, With, and By Community
Data should serve the people it represents. Our Community Data work is created for, with, and by LGBTQIA+ communities, reflecting the lived experiences of Black and Brown people, trans and nonbinary people, people with disabilities, immigrants, elders, youth, and working-class communities.
By centering lived experience and cultural knowledge, we ensure research is guided by community-defined priorities. We design surveys, host listening sessions, and engage in participatory analysis that reflects the real conditions our communities face.
This work informs advocacy, shapes policy development, and guides equitable resource allocation. It moves beyond numbers to elevate voices that are often overlooked and strengthens solutions rooted in dignity, equity, and collective power.
Community Data Initiatives
SKC LGBTQIA+ Collaborative
Housing Data
South King County LGBTQIA+ Collaborative
The LGBTQIA+ South King County Collaborative (The Collaborative) was established to amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ individuals and to center queer and trans Black, Indigenous and people of color (QTBIPOC) communities, highlighting the realities of their lives in South King County. Through surveys, listening sessions, and community-led conversations, we gathered critical insights about the challenges and strengths that shape our communities’ everyday experiences.
Community members reported challenges with housing, income, healthcare access, and safety due to systems designed to serve the majority rather than address the needs of those most impacted. They also highlighted resilience, mutual aid, and cultural pride as their strengths.
This brief serves as a roadmap and call to action, grounded in findings from, for, and by the LGBTQIA+ community, enabling decision-makers, funders, and community partners to advance solutions that help ensure LGBTQIA+ people in South King County thrive in their communities. When our communities lead, lasting change takes root. This brief is a resource for communities building power together, rooted in care and connection.
Housing Data
Over the past several years, Queer Power Alliance, formerly LGBTQ Allyship, has worked to address the growing displacement of LGBTQ+ communities from Seattle into South King County (SKC) and the need to advance housing equity across the region. Beginning in 2017, we built a foundation for LGBTQ+ housing leadership and advocacy through our Housing Leadership Program (2017–2019) and by hosting the only LGBTQ+ Housing Conference in Washington State in South King County from 2018–2019. As this work expanded, QPA convened the first South King County LGBTQ+ Housing Committee in 2019, bringing together 11 elected officials and LGBTQ+ community members to collaborate on solutions. To better understand the housing realities facing our communities, we conducted the 2019 South King County LGBTQ+ Housing Report, a community-informed study documenting housing instability, displacement pressures, and barriers to access. The findings and recommendations from the report have continued to guide our advocacy, leadership development, and policy engagement as we work alongside community members and local leaders to advance housing stability and equity for LGBTQ+ residents in South King County.