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Helping others in your community
Do you work with Washingtonians who need support accessing ESD's benefits and services?
This page includes resources designed to help nonprofits and community partners who are helping people with limited English proficiency, disabilities, limited internet or other access needs.
Core customer services and benefits at ESD
SharedWork (business sustainability program)
Free educational webinars and how-to videos
Unemployment
Paid Family and Medical Leave
- What is Paid Family and Medical Leave?
- How to apply
- File a weekly claim
Reemployment services
SharedWork (employers)
- Program overview
- Business friendly programs webinar
Community organization resources
Unemployment Insurance Navigator Program
The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) is distributing $2.1 million in U.S. Department of Labor funds to community organizations to help potential unemployment claimants in underserved communities better understand available benefits.
Nine community-based organizations in Washington are receiving grant money from ESD’s new Unemployment Insurance (UI) Navigator program.
Staff from these organizations, called UI Navigators, aim to help ESD lower or remove barriers to unemployment benefits in local communities. They will also work closely with ESD to ensure benefits are available and accessible to all qualified workers.
Organizations will provide outreach, education and support to underrepresented community members, who have been underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.
Grant recipients
Chinese Information and Service Center provides comprehensive services to support immigrants and their families by creating opportunities for them to succeed, while honoring their heritage.
Drivers Union is a multiracial and multilingual organization of drivers who work for app-based personal transportation platforms. Its purpose is to promote economic security, fairness, justice and transparency for workers in Washington’s personal transportation industry and beyond.
Korean Community Service Center, established in 1983, enhances the well-being of the Korean American immigrant community in the Puget Sound region. It provides social services and community programs that meet the needs of Korean Americans in Washington.
La Oficina LLC is dedicated to transforming lives by providing information, education, resources and advocacy for the minority community, fostering meaningful engagement with government organizations.
Native Action Network works to enhance the beauty, strength and integrity of the American Indian and Alaska Native community through leadership development, civic engagement, community building and economic restoration.
Neighborhood House, established in 1906, focuses on providing services to entire families, including low-income community members, public housing residents, immigrants and refugees.
People for People, founded in 1965, provides services including transportation, employment and training, senior nutrition and more throughout Washington with offices in Yakima, Moses Lake, Ellensburg, Sunnyside, Toppenish, Goldendale, White Salmon, Union Gap and Stevenson.
TRAC Associates, founded in 1983, is an employment, training and social service organization that provides vocational help to all disadvantaged job seekers. It has offices in Tacoma, Everett, Seattle, Tukwila and Kent.
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, represents and provides services for hundreds of local unions throughout Washington. More than 600 local unions are affiliated with the organization, which represents more than 550,000 union members.
About the UI Navigator program
Community organizations selected for the UI Navigator program will meet regularly with ESD to:
- Discuss barriers customers face and possible solutions.
- Determine ways to measure success.
- Learn about ESD benefits and services.
Training and more
Organizations met in person with ESD staff, including ESD Commissioner Cami Feek, for a summit in January 2024 in SeaTac. The private event helped organizations continue to expand their knowledge of unemployment benefits and served as an unofficial kickoff for the UI Navigator program.
ESD provided organizations with resources. The summit provided organizations an opportunity to ask questions about program requirements, reporting and more.
UI Navigators will also:
- Meet regularly with ESD(virtual or in-person) to share best practices and review emergent challenges.
- Provide ongoing feedback and suggestionson how ESD can improve its services and help ensure these benefits are available and accessible for everyone.
- Conduct targeted outreach, education and support activities communities who have been historically underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. This may include promoting awareness of other social safety net programs.
Resources
U.S. Department of Labor tours the state to meet with Unemployment Insurance Navigator program organizations (Medium Blog)
UI Navigator program flyer (PDF)
ESD Commissioner Cami Feek thanks community-based organizations at the UI Navigator Summit (Video)
Applying for Unemployment (PDF)
Shareable resources
Unemployment
Paid Family and Medical Leave
In-language resources
The Employment Security Department website and eServices are available in English and Spanish. For all other languages: To apply for unemployment benefits, file a weekly claim, or get general help, call the Language Access line at 800-410-0758.
Dial the extension below for help in your language. Interpreters are available for free. You can also find information on the in-language webpages linked below.
አማርኛ - Amharic, extension 14
فارسی - Farsi, extension 18
中文(简体) - Chinese, extension 15
Chuuk - Chuukese, extension 27
Kajin majeļ - Marshallese, extension 24
ខ្មែរ - Cambodian, extension 20
العربية - Arabic, extension 16
한국어 - Korean, extension 17
ຄົນລາວ - Laotian, extension 31
Afaan Oromoo - Oromo, extension 21
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Punjabi, extension 25
Русский - Russian, extension 11
Soomaali - Somali, extension 12
Tagalog - Tagalog, extension 34
Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese, extension 10
Tekoi er a Belau - Palauan, extension 29
Burmese, extension 22
Cantonese, extension 13
French, extension 23
German, extension 33
Italian, extension 32
Japanese, extension 28
Samoan, extension 30
Tigrinya, extension 19
Ukrainian, extension 26
All other languages: extension 35
Paid Leave application packets are available in additional languages on paidleave.wa.gov.
Equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations
If you are supporting someone who is having trouble accessing our services, they may be eligible for a reasonable accommodation. The person seeking the accommodation should contact the service they are seeking directly, if possible.
Equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations for unemployment benefits
Equity and access for Paid Family & Medical Leave
Equal opportunity is the law
Employment Security Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Language assistance services for limited English proficient individuals are available free of charge.
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