Byrd Barr Place

MISSION

Byrd Barr Place helps people help themselves and each other as they move from poverty to self-sufficiency through programs and advocacy.

VISION

We seek to create a healthy; thriving world free of poverty by serving low-income individuals and families in central King County including immigrants and refugees, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and the new poor. 

Byrd Barr Place is a Community Action Agency supporting the diverse neighborhoods of Seattle’s historic Central District. For more than 50 years the Central District has been recognized as an area of extreme poverty in Seattle, and needs in the community led to the creation of Byrd Barr Place in 1964. In 1979 our agency was one of the first in Washington to become an official Community Action Program.

Our organization helps ensure that all people in the Seattle area have the opportunity to be self-sufficient by providing access to basic needs and programs that educate and nourish, creating a thriving community of neighbors helping neighbors. We envision all people having access to tools, programs, and community that will help move them from generational and situational poverty to self-sufficiency—inspiring them to give back to their community. We believe that every person deserves to live a life of dignity. We focus on the poorest individuals and families that are struggling to survive – many who live at 125% of federal poverty levels or below.

Over the decades, the neighborhood and the needs of the poor have changed in many ways, and our clients now come from a variety of backgrounds, including a large segment of refugees and immigrants. Byrd Barr Place provides culturally competent services to make all people feel comfortable and understood.