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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.