Community Development Advisory Board

Community Development Advisory Board Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Thursday 6:00 PM August 10, 2023 Mayor's Boardroom Audio Recorded https://meetings.cob.org -Call to Order The Community Development Advisory Board meeting was called to order by the Chair at 6:00 PM. 1. Introductions Present: Aran Clauson (Chair), Brien Thane, Jennifer Miles, Jonathan Scanlon, Jonathan Stubblefield, Karin Jones, Shannon Laws, Victor Crosetti, Ryan Wood, and Yin-Ho Lai Kristina Michelle-Martens (Council representative) Absent: Pierce Bock and Suneeta Eisenberg City Staff: Kate Bartholomew and Heather Aven 2. Approval of minutes from previous meeting Minutes from June 8, 2023, were approved by general consensus. 3. Link to Meeting Video Click here to view the meeting Public Comment Period Agenda Items Presentation 1. Brigid Collins Presentation p. 2 Melissa Pickel, Director of Operations, spoke to the Board members about the Brigid Collins and how it supports families with children in the community. The center is a registered Children’s Advocacy Center where children who have been victims of violence or sexual abuse can receive support and the center acts as a liaison to law enforcement and other community resources. After answer several questions, Ms. Pickel shared a link to a video about the Children’s Advocacy Center and their services: https://www.brigidcollins.org/about-us. Public Hearing 1. Public Hearing on draft 2022 CAPER p. 3 Staff gave a presentation on the data that will be included in the 2022 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). This included data on the number of beneficiaries served, and the race/ethnicity of beneficiaries served through city-funded programs, compared to the low-income population of Bellingham. Staff asked CDAB to provide guidance or suggestions on the data that would be most relevant to share with the community, either through the CAPER or through the City’s website: Housing & Human Services (arcgis.com)  Public Hearing on the Draft 2022 CAPER The presentation was followed by a public comment period. There was one comment from Mr. Betts, who advocated for tax-increment financing to help address the housing crisis. Other Business 1. Staff Updates Kate shared that the City has issued RFPs for a Shower Trailer and Safe Parking pilot program. Opportunity Council has responded to the Shower Trailer RFP, but no responses have been received for the Safe Parking RFP to date. 2. Annoucements / "What's the Buzz" There was a discussion about the topic of EV charging stations, especially the equity issue of providing charging options to renters. 3. Future Agenda Items • Housing and new legislature passed • ADU State Bill • Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program Updates • Family Systems Solution Group • Verbal summary on the Project Update page • LMM Director speak to the Board (Housing first vs. Housing ready) • Housing accessibility barriers (unable to use vouchers) • Wrap-around funding (State level) • Enforcement for Air BnB • 2022 state legislative session – specifically renter protections • A speaker on the business side of housing and real estate development (Kate suggested members watch the recent Housing Week session on “Making Affordable Housing Pencil” and shared link). Let staff know if there is still interest in this topic. • A policy discussion in light of the close defeat of recent City Ballot Initiative 1. • A staff presentation from BHA about how the voucher system works (Section 8 and local forms of rent assistance) • Presentation on role of non-profit vs role of government entity and ways they overlap and how they differ. • Balance homeownership and the gap in funding. • Additional discussion on ways to measure equity. Minutes prepared by: ____________________________________________ Heather Aven, Recording Secretary Minutes edited by both staff and Community Development Advisory Board members.