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Housing


In August of 2022 the LWVBWC board voted to pursue a new focus area, the housing crisis, utilizing all its tools of research and education in search of a way that the League might contribute to solutions.

The League has long addressed through its positions the need for housing.    In 1988, in a position developed by the LWVBWC, it says, "LWVBWC supports the right to basic human needs and development, i.e. a decent life. We advocate access to adequate food, housing, and health care".  Similar position statements have been adopted by the state and national Leagues.

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2025 Housing Legislation

with
Representative Alex Ramel
and Representative Joe Timmons

Moderator:  Donna Meehan

Housing Issue Team
June 11, 2025
Accordion Widget
Resources exerpted from chat
Resources exerpted from chat

15:15:56 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

Replying to "I’ve heard from peop..." 

In Bellingham, if tenants' rents were raised 8% or more prior to HB1217 passing, they are eligible for Renter Relocation Assistance. Several tenants were given excessive rent increases prior to HB1217 being signed and we (Bellingham Tenants Union) are working with our representatives and the Northwest Justice Project to address this.


15:19:22 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

120 days notice


15:20:32 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

NJP has updated their site to include new legislation: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/


15:21:21 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

Attorney General’s office https://www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint



15:33:40 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

I am hosting a Know Your Rights training for renters, taught by the Northwest Justice Project. Email me at together@bellinghamtenantsunion.org for more info.



15:39:30 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

ROC Northwest is the organization that can assist manufactured homeowners organize and purchase the property. ROC Northwest - A Program Of The Northwest Cooperative Development Center, https://nwcdc.coop/roc-northwest/


15:40:49 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

Bellingham also created an overlay to the zoning for manufactured home parks. This also offer some protections


15:41:05 From Sehome Neighborhood Association to Everyone:

ROC enabled the Samish Way park to buy theirs. The Lakeway park is asking 41$M for that land. That is not attainable for the 200 residents.


15:44:55 From Kerri Burnside to Everyone:

Another really good program that is starting is the Roommate Matching Program being administered by Nesterly. This matches homeowners with extra space for rent in their home with a tenant that is a good match. https://cob.org/services/housing/housing-laws-tenant-and-landlord-support/bellingham-home-sharing-program


15:49:10 From Janis iPad Pro 11.2019 to Everyone:

Replying to "Another really good …"

Fwd: A new home sharing program for Bellingham residents - come learn more! Hope you will join the pre-launch webinar on June 25, from 3:00-4:00 pm https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83183171675?pwd=YDkwaxN7dkqW2TlANuQal2OsTJMbw5.1.

Meeting ID: 831 8317 1675 | Passcode: 355387

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Rose Lathrop
Executive Director
Kulshan Community Land Trust


Housing Issue Team
October 29, 2024

 


Washington State Senator Sharon Shewmake 
on Housing Legislation


Housing Issue Team
August 22, 2024

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Interested in joining our newly forming observer corps?
Contact info@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org if you’d like to volunteer.  You choose how much time you can offer.

If you attend one of the housing-related board or commission meetings, please report back to using this form..

Board and Commission Meetings


The Bellingham Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on a variety of land-use issues, and the Commission typically meets on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Whatcom County Planning Commission assists the Planning and Development Services Department in carrying out its duties and generally schedules meetings on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month.


City of Bellingham Council and Committee Meetings

Whatcom County Council and Committee Meetings

Bellingham Planning Commission info

Whatcom County Planning Commission Info
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Housing and Comprehensive Planning

March 31, 2023
Sponsored by the Healthcare Issue Team

Housing and Comprehensive Planning

How to plan for and manage growth

The Healthcare Issues Team of the League of Women Voters of Bellingham & Whatcom County hosted a panel on March 31 regarding the intersection of housing issues and comprensive planning, a process that must be conducted by cities and counties every ten years.  Learn how much housing for all income levels that Bellingham and Whatcom County will need to provide to meet population growth, and what can you do to support solutions and join the conversation.
 
Lara Welker, MPH, Consultant for Aging Well Whatcom Blueprint, facilitated the discussion. Panelists include:
  • Blake Lyon, Planning & Community Development Director, City of Bellingham
  • Pete Nelson, Executive Director, Blaine Senior Center
  • Steve Roberge, Assistant Director, Whatcom County Planning & Development Services
  • Stacie Pratschner, City of Blaine Community Development Director.
Resources mentioned in the program:
For an overview of the comprehensive planning process at the local level, take a look at this slide deck, prepared for the League by Cynthia Stewart, chair of the Housing and Homelessness Affinity Group for the League of Women Voters of Washington
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Housing for Older Adults and People with Disabilities

February 20, 2023
Sponsored by the Healthcare Issue Team

 


Housing for Older Adults and People with Disabilities

The Healthcare Issues Team of the League of Women Voters of Bellingham & Whatcom County hosted a panel on February 20th regarding the intersection of housing issues and health issues, focusing on the needs of older adults and persons with disabilities.

Lara Welker, MPH, Consultant for Aging Well Whatcom Blueprint, facilitated the discussion. Panelists include:
  • Karen Burke, CEO YWCA
  • Amanda McDade, Executive Director, Northwest Regional Council
  • Brien Thane, Executive Director of Bellingham and Whatcom Housing Authority
 They provide an overview of the housing needs of older adults and of persons with disabilities in Whatcom County and discuss the unique challenges for these two groups regarding obtaining appropriate housing. They also reported on the ways in which these problems are being addressed currently and future plans.

Brien Thane answers a question about  Housing Authority wait lists.
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Click here to view the chat and suggested links.
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Housing for All

At our kick-off meeting we invited Rose Lathrop of Sustainable Connections to speak about the Whatcom Housing Alliance and the annual Housing Week, and Kate Bartholomew from the City of Bellingham, who showed us how to access some very informative interactive pages.

Click here to read the chat, which includes recommended resources.

Resources


The City of Bellingham is in the process of updating its Consolidated Plan, which determines how funding will be spent on services and housing for the community's lowest income residents and those with special needs.  Your participation is welcome.

You can see all housing units by type in the city on the Bellingham's Housing Statistics Story Map. This includes new residential units permitted by year since 2000. (Scroll down in the Housing Types section until you hit the orange and yellow bar chart). If you click on Infill Housing at the top, and scroll down a little, you can also see a list of infill housing types completed, approved, and in the application process as of June 2022.


For more context on affordable housing, take a look at Housing & Human Services (arcgis.com).  If you click on Housing Projects at the top grey bar, this shows all new affordable housing projects specifically, including permanent supportive housing,  You can then click on individual dots to learn more about each project (who it serves, how big, where funding comes from, etc.)

Another helpful resource is this FAQ on the City's website:  https://cob.org/services/planning/key-housing-questions 
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New:  League's Housing Affinity Group



Under the umbrella of the Washington State League, there are a number of "affinity"discussion groups, which are open to League members around the state.

You can think of them like a book club: a group of people who share a common interest in a topic, and get together periodically to discuss and share resources. Each group makes their own schedule for how often they meet, only needing one person to take responsibility to schedule the meetings. Members can join when it’s convenient for them and participate as much or as little as they like.

Recently a housing affinity group has been created, led by League member Cynthia Stewart.   It's first meeting will be on Monday, January 23, at 6:00pm.  

For more information email housing@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org.
A January 2023 report on the statewide housing crisis produced for Challenge Seattle (an alliance of CEOs from 21 of the regions' largest employers) is The Conspicuous Crisis: Addressing Housing Affordability in Washington.   The report focuses on the lack of housing supply in the state, and offers recommendations for addressing the problem.

Listen here for an excellent 30 minute interview summarizing  how we got in this challenging situation nation wide.  

Check out the Whatcom Housing Alliance recording of an interview with housing scholar Greg Colburn discussing his recent book "Homelessness is a Housing Problem"   Using accessible statistics, the researchers test a range of conventional beliefs about what drives the prevalence of homelessness in a given city—including mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, generosity of public assistance, and low-income mobility—and find that none explain why, for example, rates are so much higher in Seattle than in Chicago. Instead, housing market conditions, such as the cost and availability of rental housing, offer a more convincing explanation.

PO Box 4041 Bellingham, WA  98227-4041
360-305-3523
info@lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org