The City of Bellingham's mission focuses on enhancing the availability of housing or shelter for low-income residents. Their goal is to streamline the process for project proponents by facilitating connections to partners and funding opportunities, aiming for a coordinated approach to housing production or preservation within the community.
The City of Bellingham offers a grant program aimed at preserving or increasing the inventory of low-income housing. Important elements of this program include the availability of predevelopment funding up to $60,000 for projects with a known site, which can be integrated into the permanent project financing if the project progresses successfully. Additionally, the grant emphasizes the importance of early engagement, recommending contact about 2 years prior to project development and highlighting countywide funding coordination in partnership with Whatcom County. This coordination is critical for aligning with public funding opportunities and ensuring that affordable housing projects within Bellingham and the broader region are prioritized effectively. The program guides proponents through initial steps, including the submission of an Expression of Interest and a Statement of Intent, to facilitate understanding of the project concept and to streamline the funding and partnership establishment process.