Apply now for our new Community Advisory Team

Washington State Department of Commerce sent this bulletin at 08/05/2024 04:15 PM PDT

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Aug. 5, 2024

Apply now!

Newly formed Community Advisory Team on affordable housing

The Community Advisory Team will provide advice and input on structural-level policies and strategic priorities for affordable housing programs to AHAB and Commerce. While not a decision-making body, the advisory team will serve as a centralized hub for deeper relationship-building and community-driven input, ensuring accountability to equity, anti-racism, and housing justice principles across programs and sub-committees.

Using frameworks of equity, anti-racism, and housing justice, the advisory team will highlight and promote the correction of disparities in housing and homeownership access on a regional level, with a focus on communities most disproportionately affected by housing injustice.

The Community Advisory Team (CAT) may:

  • develop priorities;
  • evaluate existing programs;
  • make recommendations to Commerce, legislators and the governor; and
  • report back to communities.

Background

The Community Advisory Team (CAT) will emerge from the transformation of the former Policy Advisory Team (PAT), which has served as a sub-committee of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board (AHAB) for over 25 years. Per statute (RCW 43.185A.020), AHAB, appointed by the Governor, is the primary advisory group to Commerce on statewide housing issues. The PAT has provided recommendations and advice on affordable housing policy to AHAB and Commerce.

In 2022, a community-led effort aimed to reform the PAT to increase equity and representation of voices most impacted by affordable housing. After a year of facilitated planning and discussions alongside PAT members and stakeholders, Commerce developed a plan for launching the Community Advisory Team. This new sub-committee to AHAB will be intentionally designed to prioritize and reflect representation by most-impacted communities. 

Focus areas

The CAT will focus on several key areas, which will be regularly revisited and evolved based on emergent and relevant priorities and issues identified by the group, including:

  • Funding priorities, application, and evaluation
  • Homeownership
  • Loan policies
  • Portfolio preservation
  • Rural communities
  • Capacity building, outreach, and support
  • Resource allocation

Public Information Webinars

Commerce staff will present information on the history and goals of the new Community Advisory Committee, and applicants will have space to ask any questions about the selection process and commitment involved in participating on the CAT. Attending one or both of these sessions is encouraged but not required to submit an application or serve on the CAT.

  • Monday, Aug.12, 2024 at 10 a.m. - REGISTER
  • Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 at 6 p.m. – REGISTER

 

Application materials and deadline

Applications due by 5 p.m. Sept. 17, 2024 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time

Note: Submitted applications are public records and could be subject to disclosure, pursuant to Ch. 42.56 RCW

Applicant information packet (Box PDF)

 

APPLY NOW

 

Questions?
Please contact:
Analilia Núñez (She/Her)
Equity Policy Manager, Multifamily Housing Unit
Analilia.Nunez@commerce.wa.gov