Community Development Advisory Board

Community Development Advisory Board Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Thursday 6:00 PM November 13, 2025 City Council Boardroom https://meetings.cob.org Call to Order The Community Development Advisory Board meeting (no video recording) was called to order by the Chair at 6:00 PM. - Members: ☒ Shannon Laws (CDAB Chair) ☐ Katherine Freimund ☒ Andrew Calkins ☒ Lola Thompson ☒ Ben Spicer ☒ Matt Unger ☒ Bernice Portervint ☒ Matthew Main ☒ Jasmine Fast ☐ Ryan Wood Staff/ Other Panelists: Samya Lutz, PCDD Kathleen Morton, PCDD Approval of minutes from previous meeting October minutes were approved by general consensus. Public Comment Period During this time, citizens may take up to three (3) minutes to address the members about any topic not on the agenda. Amy Navarro introduced self and expressed interest in being a member of the Board. Agenda Items Presentation 1. Lydia Place Mental Health Program Presentation Diana Meeks from Lydia Place’s Mental Health program provided an overview of services that the City partially funds. Their presentation provided an overview of Lydia Place’s programs as well as a deep dive into the services by their Mental Health Program such as therapy groups, training and consulting for staff, training for community partners and clinical training and experience for graduate level interns. Information/Discussion 1. COB Staff Roles and Background  COB staff provided a brief background on themselves as well as an overview of their roles at the City of Bellingham and what their day-to-day activities are. 2. Draft HOME-ARP NOFA Staff provided a brief overview of the discussion had during the October 2025 CDAB meeting. The intention of releasing this NOFA is to give existing providers the opportunity to right-size their programs based on populations and needs. COB staff asked for feedback on NOFA, specifically the text highlighted in red pertaining to exit data. 3. Proposed 2026 Calendar for CDAB Meetings Staff reviewed the proposed 2026 CDAB Calendar highlighting important dates and tasks for CDAB, including those months that CDAB will not be meeting. Other Business 1. Staff Updates 2. Announcements / "What's the Buzz" 3. Future Agenda Items CDAB members would like to have representatives from Whatcom County Health and Community Services talk about collaboration, process, funds and challenges. Minutes prepared by: ____________________________________________ Kathleen Morton, Development Specialist II Minutes edited by both staff and Community Development Advisory Board members.