MHU Review: January 2025

Multifamily Housing Newsletter Issue #11

As we roll into the new year, the Multifamily Housing Unit continues to fund, support and maintain standards for over 50,000 units of affordable housing across Washington. This newsletter aims to expand on our work to unpack the roles of unique teams, special projects, and actionable reminders.

Keep reading to learn about:

The unique expertise of our Contract Specialist Teams
The importance of contracting via our technical assistance providers
Updates from the newly formed Community Advisory Team
The story of Beacon Pacific Village, a new affordable housing community in Seattle
Dan Thompson homes and the exciting collaborative efforts to house people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
Actionable reminders for applicants, developers and property managers

Our Contract Specialist Teams get the job done

When it comes to developing affordable housing, it’s essential to have knowledgeable facilitators and follow the necessary legal procedures to ensure a property is funded and in compliance with state and local laws.

The Contract Specialist Teams are housing contract experts and so much more. They facilitate legal documents and keep the process of contracting moving forward. They also manage the escrow for Commerce, a process in which funding is paid through a third party to ensure all interested parties in housing construction and development are appropriately compensated. Additionally, they act as the glue that holds much of the MHU team together: They support our Project Management and Asset Management teams in placing new housing communities in service and ensuring that properties fit their award terms.

Team leads Geri and Nick are passionate about using their unique skills to benefit vulnerable community members. Many of the units funded through the Housing Trust Fund and related federal funds serve people who are low income and who can’t participate in private housing market. Our funds are also restricted to groups who face unique barriers to housing, such as mental illness, physical disabilities, veterans, and people of color. By ensuring contract language includes these service requirements, it ensures that housing goes to intended populations.

Overall, our Contract Specialist Teams are passionate about being good stewards of public funds. Thanks to their deep legal knowledge and efficient project coordination skills, we can contract with more developers, which ensures we can provide affordable housing to those who need it quickly.

Technical assistance: Contracting with a gentle touch

We know that contracting with the state can be intimidating. That might cause organizations to avoid applying for funds, which closes the door to even learning about pathways to provide affordable housing. We’re grateful to work with skilled technical assistance (TA) providers to build rapport, share information, and help organizations decide if affordable housing development is right for them.

Technical assistance can help organizations by asking early questions, before the application process starts. Those questions can include: “is your organization in a position to provide housing? How much housing? And for whom?”

TA Provider Mary May also knows that the best way to deliver outreach is to “Come in humble … We may have tools for how to address their needs, but listening comes first!”

Together, a TA provider and organization can determine goals and strategies that can increase the scale of their impact, helping a human service provider add something indispensable to their list of services: Affordable housing.

Many organizations in Washington that receive TA outreach may provide human and financial services to people who are unstably housed but have not provided housing directly – doing so requires millions in investment and contracts that can last as long as 50 years. By doing careful outreach to these organizations, predominantly those that are smaller in size and in rural areas, TA providers help make organizations aware of available state and federal funding, assess their capacity to develop affordable housing, and assists them in creating a competitive application for funds. In best-case scenarios, the result can be creating affordable housing in spaces where there was little or none previously, which serves community members who would otherwise leave their communities or experience homelessness.

Do you want to learn more about the requirements to develop affordable housing? Want to learn about upcoming funding opportunities? Visit our website or send us an email.

Community Advisory Team will amplify voices most impacted by housing instability

Commerce is excited to announce the formation and seating of the Community Advisory Team (CAT), a subcommittee of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board (AHAB). This new team is a vital evolution of the long-standing Policy Advisory Team and is designed to center equity, anti-racism, and justice in housing policies. The CAT will play a critical role in amplifying voices from communities most impacted by housing instability, health inequities and systemic racism.

This committee has been shaped by extensive stakeholder engagement and reflects Targeted Universalism principles and an anti-bias framework. The team includes members who have experienced housing instability and have technical expertise, ensuring decisions and recommendations are deeply informed by the realities of those directly affected.

See the list of CAT members and learn about next steps on the Committee website.

Affordable Housing Stakeholder Corner

Applicants, developers, and property managers can receive reminders on all things pertaining to funding opportunities, contracting requirements and more.

2024 traditional and federal awards were announced! If you have questions about next steps, your project manager will answer them – they will reach out soon!