A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT BUILD AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR INNOVATIVE HOUSING SOLUTIONS. LEARN, ENGAGE, DISCUSS, AND FEEL EMPOWERED.

2024 Housing Week Schedule

Click to learn more about this year’s awesome events!

Tuesday, October 15th

A Dignified and Effective Approach to Emergency Shelter & Services | New Lighthouse Mission Tour

Tuesday, October 15, 10-11 AM
Hosted by: The Lighthouse Mission
Location: New Lighthouse Mission Facility | 1312 F St., Bellingham WA 98225

Details

Come and learn about the Lighthouse Mission’s new facility in-person by joining us for a tour! The new shelter incorporates design elements informed by the latest best practices and takes a more therapeutic approach to shelter, services and community collaboration than ever before. A true gem in our community, this facility just opened in September 2024 and is already being used to effectively empower life transformation and support community members experiencing homelessness. This tour is a unique opportunity to see the facility in action and ask questions along the way.

Lighthouse Mission staff will lead the tours and share insights about what makes the Lighthouse Mission effective in its approach to overcoming homelessness.
Learn more about Lighthouse Mission: www.lighthousebuilds.org
The Model for Affordable, Sustainably Built, Solar-Powered Communities in Bellingham: Larrabee Springs Lunch & Learn

Tuesday, October 15, 11:30am-2pm
Hosted by: Larrabee Springs
Location: 636 Venture Lane, Bellingham WA 98226

Details

What kind of housing do people want? Affordable, healthy, environmentally friendly and high quality. Is it possible for local builders to check all of these boxes? You bet.
Join us for lunch in Bellingham’s largest green-built solar community and learn how Larrabee Springs, Inc. and AJW Builders are developing an environmentally sustainable community that is home to a wide range of housing types and densities for all income levels.
Their building model has successfully yielded a variety of housing types including sustainable family-size homes, senior housing, and middle housing types such duplexes, townhomes, and single-story homes. Homes have been built using green building and US EPA Energy Star practices. To reduce their carbon footprint and reduce energy costs about 2500 solar panels have been installed to date. All of the homes have energy recovery ventilators, heat pumps and mini splits. Additionally, all homes are sealed with aerobarrier and have car charging outlets in the garages. Local contractors have been hired to complete the builds and most building materials throughout the project have been sourced from local businesses. Over the past decade these homes have been some of the most affordable new housing available in Bellingham.
Creatively Housing College Students in Whatcom County

Tuesday, October 15, 3-5PM
Hosted by: Western Washington University
Location: 1st floor of Stateside | 901 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225
To participate virtually, register for Zoom link

Details

Basic needs challenges have frequently been a top reason students cite as needing to drop out or stop out of college. In 2022, a Washington State Achievement Counsel survey found that WA students at two-year and four-year colleges had similar insecurity rates, with 1 in 2 experiencing food and/or housing insecurity. Recent state policies have supported creating and staffing programs to support college students with basic needs challenges, and basic needs navigators and support programs are in place at WWU, WTC, and BTC to help students navigate challenges, many of which relate to housing insecurity. Common challenges students face include difficulties finding a cosigner, evictions due to insufficient funds or financial aid timelines, finding suitable housing, and barriers to not having upfront costs to cover expenses.

In this interactive presentation, come ready to collaboratively strategize creative housing ideas that can serve our students and the Whatcom community, and hear from staff at three local colleges about the challenges college students face with housing security. All presenters are eager to discuss creative ideas regarding housing for college students.

Jon and Gina work in Western’s newly formed Basic Needs Hub to support students facing incredible barriers including former foster care youth, unaccompanied homeless youth, and first-generation students. Mikaila works at Whatcom Community College as the basic needs navigator to connect students to resources in the community. Maeg serves as the student benefits navigator at Bellingham Technical College to connect students to financial and housing resources.

Speakers

  • Maeg Demmons, Bellingham Technical College
  • Gina Ebbeling, Western Washington University
  • Jon Stubblefield, Western Washington University
  • Mikaila Wireman, Whatcom Community College

Wednesday, October 16th

Whatcom Housing Alliance Fall All Member Meeting

Wednesday, October 16, 8:45AM-12PM (programming starts at 9AM sharp)
Hosted by: Whatcom Housing Alliance
Location: Structures Brewing Old Town | 601 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225

Details

Come mingle with current and prospective members of the Whatcom Housing Alliance starting at 8:30AM with a continental breakfast and coffee. Programming starts at 9AM sharp with keynote speaker Norm van Eeden Petersman, Director of Movement Building at Strong Towns. A skilled communicator and community builder, Norm is an energetic enthusiast for the work that Strong Towns members do around the world. Norm’s presentation is entitled “Escaping the Housing Trap.” It will help you understand the root causes of America’s interrelated housing crises, and identify some rational responses that your city (and every city) can take. This event is open to everyone, but the content is designed for current, prospective, and future members of the Whatcom Housing Alliance.

Learn more: https://whatcomhousingalliance.org/projects/fall-2024-all-members-meeting/

Healthy Housing: Navigating relationship and communication with landlords, tenants and service providers

Wednesday, October 16, 4-5:30 PM
Hosted by: Lydia Place
Location: Lydia Place | 1705 Gladstone Street Bellingham, WA 98229

Details

Forming and maintaining appropriate boundaries in residential rentals can help to build stronger and healthier relationships between landlords, tenants, and service providers. However, communication about the state of someone’s housing can feel incredibly personal and heavy, and rarely have landlords and tenants had the opportunity to get to know each other on a personal level. So how do we create safe spaces to have these essential conversations? Professionals at Lydia Place have been learning to navigate these relationships alongside families and community partners for over 30 years. Whether you are a tenant, property manager, or service provider, we invite you to join us and challenge yourself to continue growing and adapting your perspective on boundaries in tenancy.

Curator-Led Tour of Dream House

Wednesday, October 16, 4-6PM
Hosted by: Mindport Exhibits
Location: Mindport Exhibits | 210 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225

Details

This visual arts exhibit explores the theme of housing insecurity in our region. It includes the works of 13 artists who are personally experiencing the effects of the ongoing housing crisis. Several are living and working in Bellingham, while others have ties to the region but have had to move other locations because of a dearth of affordable, available rentals in our city. Several are practicing in more far reaching areas of the region (Spokane and Whiterock). One is located in the southwest and another is from the midwest. One artist has passed away since the planning of this exhibit began. The works gathered in this show are representative of many facets of this crisis: class, gender, profession, geography, labor and family structure. The show also contains a collection of titles that are gathered in a quiet reading room in the Mindport library.

Margot Stroop is the current Creative Director at Mindport Exhibits in Bellingham, WA. Her background in the visual arts includes adjuct instruction at WWU for nearly a decade, the creation of a community printshop downtown Bellingham (Runaway Press), a lifetime of commercial fishing with her family as well as her own ongoing studio practice. She began the research for this exhibit three years ago, put out a national call for artist participation in 2023, and assembled the artists and their work at Mindport Exhibits in Spring of 2024. Dream House: dwelling in fantasy is seeking ongoing exhibit locations and funding to cover transportation, insurance and installation costs in future community art spaces.

2024 Whatcom County Candidate Business Forum

Wednesday, October 16, 6-8:30PM
Hosted by: The Associated General Contractors of Washington, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, Building Industry Association of Whatcom County, Whatcom Housing Alliance, and the Whatcom Co. Realtors Association
Location: Virtual – register below!

Details

This virtual forum will host candidates from Washington State’s 40th and 42nd Legislative Districts and Whatcom County Public Utilities Districts 1 and 2.  Each race will feature a 25-minute forum where each candidate will have an opportunity to provide a five (5) minute speech regarding their candidacy which will be followed with questions from our forum moderator where each candidate will be provided one minute for their reply.  Each candidate will be provided the 5-6 questions, targeting issues and concerns from our respective memberships.

 

Thursday, October 17th

YWCA New Women & Children’s Shelter Tour & Discussion

Thursday, October 17, 9-10:30 AM
Hosted by: YWCA Bellingham
Location: 315 Lakeway Drive Bellingham, WA 98225

Details

Join us in celebrating the upcoming YWCA shelter designated for women and children in our community! We will be touring the facility, hearing the process of how this shelter came to be, and discussing ways to maximize opportunities with community involvement, open communication, and collaboration. We will be joined by City of Bellingham Housing and Program Services Manager, Samya Lutz, as well as a representative from Whatcom County Health and Community Services Department.
Speakers:
Alle Schene, YWCA Bellingham Chief Executive Officer
Samya Lutz, Housing and Program Services Manager, City of Bellingham
Representative from Whatcom County Health and Community Services Department
Learn more about the YWCA: www.ywcabellingham.org
A Dignified and Effective Approach to Emergency Shelter & Services | New Lighthouse Mission Tour

Thursday, October 17, 10-11 AM and 3-4 PM
Hosted by: Lighthouse Mission
Location: New Lighthouse Mission Facility | 1312 F St., Bellingham WA 98225

Details

Come and learn about the Lighthouse Mission’s new facility in-person by joining us for a tour! The new shelter incorporates design elements informed by the latest best practices and takes a more therapeutic approach to shelter, services and community collaboration than ever before. A true gem in our community, this facility just opened in September 2024 and is already being used to effectively empower life transformation and support community members experiencing homelessness. This tour is a unique opportunity to see the facility in action and ask questions along the way.

This event features a panel moderated by Lara Welker, Project Lead for Aging Well Whatcom.

Learn more: www.lighthousebuilds.org

Habitat Passive: Creating Lasting Affordability through Energy Efficient Housing

Thursday, October 17, 4-6PM
Hosted by: Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County
Location: Telegraph Townhome Project |Todd Lane, Bellingham, WA 98225

Details

Join Habitat Whatcom for a happy hour at our Telegraph Townhome Project. Construction Director, Chris vanStaalduinen, will be discussing the basics of Habitat Passive design. This includes techniques like air-tight insulation, thermal barriers, and heat recovery ventilation and produces volunteer-built homes that are not only affordable to own and maintain, but are extremely efficient to heat and cool.
The event will start with a tour of the next four homes in the Telegraph Townhome Community which are roughly 80% complete, followed by a presentation by Habitat’s construction director. The Telegraph Townhome Project is a partnership between Kulshan Community Land Trust and the Whatcom Community Foundation.

Friday, October 18th

Exploring the Future of Middle Housing in Bellingham’s Lettered Streets – A Walking Tour

Friday, October 18, 3-4 PM
Hosted by: City of Bellingham
Location: Meet at corner of B St. and Halleck

Details

Join us for an insightful walking tour of the Lettered Streets neighborhood, guided by Planning & Development Director Blake Lyon and Long-Range Planning Manager Chris Behee. We’ll explore existing examples of naturally occurring middle housing to inform how we think about our neighborhoods of the future. We’ll discuss what middle housing future developments might look like in our community. As Bellingham deliberates how to integrate middle housing into its comprehensive plan to meet state mandates, this tour offers a unique opportunity to envision how these changes could benefit our neighborhoods. Come learn, ask questions, and see firsthand how middle housing can help shape a more inclusive and diverse Bellingham. Then walk or bike down to Structures Brewing on Holly St for a Housing Happy Hour!

When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency with Anna Zivarts

Friday, October 18, 5-7 PM
Hosted by: Island Press, Walk & Roll Bellingham, Whatcom Housing Alliance
Location: Structures Brewing Old Town | 601 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225

Details

One third of people living in the United States do not have a driver license. The majority of involuntary nondrivers are disabled, lower income, unhoused, formerly incarcerated, undocumented immigrants, kids, young people, and the elderly. They are also largely invisible due to a mobility system designed almost exclusively for drivers.
That’s why low-vision mom, disability advocate, and fellow non-driver, Anna Letitia Zivarts, wrote “When Driving is Not an Option”. Her work shines a light on the reality for non-drivers and explains how improving our transportation system with nondrivers in mind will create a better quality of life for everyone.
During this event, Zivarts will explain that when the needs of involuntary nondrivers are viewed as essential to how we design our transportation systems and our communities, not only will we be able to more easily get where we need to go, but the changes will lead to healthier, climate-friendly communities for everyone.
Meet Anna, buy her book, and discuss how non-drivers are (and are not) navigating the Whatcom region.
Anna Zivarts is a low-vision parent, nondriver and author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press, 2024). Anna created the #WeekWithoutDriving challenge and is passionate about bringing the voices of nondrivers to the planning and policy-making tables. Anna sits on the boards of the League of American Bicyclists, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium and the Washington State Transportation Innovation Council. She also serves as a member of TRB’s Committee on Public Health and Transportation (AME70) and the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center Coordinating Committee.
Intergenerational Housing: What is it and how can we create more?

Friday, October 18, 12-1:30 PM
Hosted by: Aging Well Whatcom, an initiative of the Chuckanut Health Foundation
Location: Virtual, register below

Details

Intergenerational housing can take many forms and has benefits for people of all ages, contributing to social connection and community-building in addition to homes. Come learn about the range of intergenerational housing types, and hear from people living and working in intergenerational housing in Whatcom County and beyond. The session will also include time for participant discussion about ways to expand local intergenerational housing opportunities.

Lara Welker is the coordinator of Aging Well Whatcom, an initiative of the Chuckanut Health Foundation. Housing is one of the six focus areas of the Aging Well Whatcom Blueprint, a locally-developed vision and for Whatcom County becoming a place with the culture, physical infrastructure, social supports, and services for all of us to age well.

Visit the Dream House exhibit at Mindport!

210 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Open Wednesday – Friday, 12-5pm
Special open house Wednesday 10/16, 4-6pm

Details

The self-guided tour of Mindport’s housing insecurity exhibit is open all week for Housing Week attendees to walk through at their own pace. Join Creative Director Margot Stroop on Wednesday, October 16th from 4-6pm for a guided tour.

This visual arts exhibit explores the theme of housing insecurity in our region. It includes the works of 13 artists who are personally experiencing the effects of the ongoing housing crisis. Several are living and working in Bellingham, while others have ties to the region but have had to move other locations because of a dearth of affordable, available rentals in our city. Several are practicing in more far reaching areas of the region (Spokane and Whiterock). One is located in the southwest and another is from the midwest. One artist has passed away since the planning of this exhibit began. The works gathered in this show are representative of many facets of this crisis: class, gender, profession, geography, labor and family structure. The show also contains a collection of titles that are gathered in a quiet reading room in the Mindport library.

 

Margot Stroop is the current Creative Director at Mindport Exhibits in Bellingham, WA. Her background in the visual arts includes adjuct instruction at WWU for nearly a decade, the creation of a community printshop downtown Bellingham (Runaway Press), a lifetime of commercial fishing with her family as well as her own ongoing studio practice. She began the research for this exhibit three years ago, put out a national call for artist participation in 2023, and assembled the artists and their work at Mindport Exhibits in Spring of 2024. Dream House: dwelling in fantasy is seeking ongoing exhibit locations and funding to cover transportation, insurance and installation costs in future community art spaces.

Whatcom Housing Alliance is hosting a Middle Housing Design Competition to celebrate and inspire innovations in housing. Visit the competition page to learn more and to submit your design idea!

Thank you to our Housing Week Sponsors!