📋 Public Hearing
Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB)
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Meeting Summary
The Community Development Advisory Board held its most difficult meeting of the year, wrestling with recommendations for the 2025 Annual Action Plan that distributes approximately $28.4 million in federal, state, and local funding for housing and human services. The evening was dominated by painful choices as the board confronted a stark reality: 36 applications requesting $4.5 million in services funding when only $2.5 million is available.
The meeting began with a comprehensive presentation on the Annual Action Plan's structure, funding sources, and the context within Bellingham's five-year Consolidated Plan. Staff explained that the city receives about $12 million annually in new funding from sources including the housing levy, affordable housing sales tax, general fund allocations, and two HUD funding streams (Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program). However, the total action plan budget of $28.4 million includes carryover commitments from previous years and uncommitted prior year funds.
The board spent the majority of the meeting conducting a detailed review of 36 applications for housing and human services funding, using a ranking system from 1 (full funding) to 4 (no funding). The process revealed deep philosophical tensions about the city's role in behavioral health services, whether to fund new programs during budget constraints, and how to balance established agencies against emerging needs.
Staff provided sobering context throughout the discussion, noting that general fund cuts across all city departments mean even less flexibility for non-housing services. The specter of potential federal cuts to basic needs programs hung over the discussion, with staff suggesting the mayor might redirect all discretionary funding toward food assistance if federal school food programs face cuts.
The evening concluded with preliminary consensus on most applications, though final recommendations await April's meeting. The board's struggle to make cuts reflects broader challenges facing local governments as they attempt to address community needs with increasingly constrained resources.
Study Guide
## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE
**Meeting ID:** BEL-CDA-2025-03-13
### Meeting Overview
The Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) met on March 13, 2025, to review the draft 2025 Annual Action Plan and evaluate 36 applications for housing and human services funding. The board worked through difficult funding decisions with limited resources compared to high community need.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Annual Action Plan:** A yearly plan detailing how the City of Bellingham will use federal HUD funds and local resources to address affordable housing and community development needs, implementing the broader 5-year Consolidated Plan.
**Consolidated Plan:** A 5-year strategic plan that analyzes housing and community development needs and guides funding decisions for HUD programs like Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program.
**CDAB (Community Development Advisory Board):** The citizen advisory body that reviews funding applications and makes recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on how to allocate housing and community development resources.
**HUD:** The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides federal funding to cities for affordable housing and community development through various grant programs.
**Davis-Bacon Act:** Federal prevailing wage requirements that apply to construction projects using certain federal funds, requiring contractors to pay workers prevailing wages and complete extensive administrative paperwork.
**Tier System (1-4):** The ranking system CDAB used to evaluate applications: Tier 1 (full funding), Tier 2 (match previous year's funding), Tier 3 (partial funding), Tier 4 (no funding recommended).
**HOME-ARP:** Special federal HOME allocation provided through the American Rescue Plan Act for homeless services, spread over 7 years with about $300,000 used annually.
**PSH (Permanent Supportive Housing):** Long-term housing assistance combined with supportive services for individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness or disabilities.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Karen Jones | CDAB Member, Sunnyland Neighborhood Representative |
| Samuel Likes | City of Bellingham Staff |
| Heather Bean | City of Bellingham Staff |
| Kathleen Morton | City of Bellingham Staff |
| Ben Spicer | CDAB Member, 5th Ward Representative |
| Catherine Fredman | CDAB Member, At-Large Representative |
| Shannon Laws | CDAB Member, Community Representative |
| Matt Unger | CDAB Member, 3rd Ward/Puget Neighborhood Representative |
| Ryan Wood | CDAB Member, Happy Valley Representative |
| Jasmine Fast | CDAB Member, Ward 1/Cordata Neighborhood Representative |
| Andrew Balkans | Executive Director, Bellingham & Whatcom County Housing Authorities |
| Lila | Urban Planner, City of Blaine (prospective CDAB applicant) |
### Background Context
The City of Bellingham receives approximately $12 million annually from federal HUD programs and local funding sources including a housing levy and affordable housing sales tax. However, the total action plan budget appears much larger ($28.4 million) because it includes multi-year commitments to ongoing capital projects and carryover funds from previous years.
This year's funding process occurred amid budget constraints, with general fund cuts being requested across city departments. The board faced the difficult task of evaluating 36 applications totaling about $4.5 million in requests against only $2.5 million in available funding for services. Two major shortfalls existed: in rental housing production (under $1 million shortfall) and rental assistance/supportive services (larger shortfall).
The tension between community need and available resources created challenging decisions, particularly around funding new programs versus maintaining existing successful programs during uncertain budget times.
### What Happened — The Short Version
Staff presented the draft 2025 Annual Action Plan, explaining how federal HUD funds and local resources would be allocated. The board then spent most of the meeting evaluating 36 service applications using a tier system (1=full funding, 4=no funding).
The board made tough choices, generally favoring established programs with proven track records over new applications. They recommended full or near-full funding for core services like the YWCA domestic violence programs, Bellingham Food Bank, and several housing-related programs.
Several new program applications received no funding recommendations, including World Relief's orientation programs, Entrepreneurial Institute's hemp house program, and Sun Community Services' shelter case management program. However, the board did recommend partial funding for two new programs: Road to Home's outreach services and Unity Care Northwest's Way Station day services.
The board struggled particularly with mental health and non-housing programs, noting these compete for very limited general fund dollars while most of their budget is restricted to housing-specific uses.
### What to Watch Next
- April CDAB meeting: Staff will present their final balanced budget recommendation incorporating the board's input
- Final recommendation goes to Mayor and then City Council for approval
- New contracts begin July 1, 2025
- Potential impact of unknown federal HUD funding levels on final allocations
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