Kulshan Community Land Trust is hosting a one-day tour to visit our neighbors across the border in Vancouver, BC and learn about innovative solutions to the housing crisis. We’ll be visiting neighborhoods and projects that rise to the challenges of affordability, infill, green design, and mixed tenure housing opportunity while enhancing neighborhood context. We’ll also hear from speakers about new ideas Vancouver is considering, including a groundbreaking Permanently Affordable Homeownership (PAH) program that works with homeowners to create new homes on their property.

As part of the ticket, each attendee will receive an all-expenses-paid lunch. The tour will conclude with a complimentary Happy Hour. We will provide transportation on a charter bus.

Many people who are concerned about homelessness have never experienced it for themselves. We often hear assumptions about how people end up homeless. Some wonder what the experiences of people who’ve gotten out of homelessness can tell us. This is your chance to meet some of our neighbors who have survived homelessness here in Whatcom County, and ask your own questions. This will be an intimate community conversation where all are welcome to join, listen, and learn without judgement.

This moderated discussion will be followed by dessert and an opportunity to continue the conversation informally.

Space is limited, so please RSVP only if you can commit to attending.

Design professionals in the urban built environment often advocate for “good density.” But what exactly does that look like, and how specifically can the planning, design, and construction of housing options support vibrant communities? How can the integration of new housing center equity, sustainability and livability in rapidly changing neighborhoods?

Guest Speaker: Michael Mortensen, MCIP, RPP

In 1945, the Bellingham City Council passed a resolution establishing the Bellingham Housing Authority (BHA) and declaring a shortage of safe and sanitary housing available to persons with low-income. While the topic of housing affordability may (or may not) be more salient today than it was 75 years ago, the BHA has continuously evolved to address emerging needs and become the largest provider of affordable housing opportunities throughout Whatcom County. This session will provide an overview of the BHA and specific programs including Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

An exemplary building is one that is designed to be Zero Net Carbon by 2030. More than that, it’s a building that is highly environmentally efficient, and offers long-term life cycle cost benefits and quality of life benefits for both affordable housing developers and residents as well as for the community at large. The ultra-efficient affordable housing that is the result of exemplary building standards would significantly reduce energy, water consumption, and storm water runoff, which leads to cost saving on utilities and better stewardship of our environment. This happens first through state-of-the-art building design strategies and efficiency measures, then through on-site renewable energy generation and water capture.

Guest Speaker: Marty Kooistra, Housing Development Consortium Seattle

ADU’s are one opportunity for homeowners to provide more affordable housing within our existing neighborhoods. Join this workshop to learn everything you need to know about building an ADU from start to finish including the design, permit process and the upfront costs needed to start your ADU project off right!

In this election season, housing policy is one of the most talked about agenda items. However, housing can sometimes be a divisive topic making it difficult to discuss. Join us for an opportunity to hear from one of the top housing advocates in the PNW, Sara Maxana, as she shares her expertise on housing policy and learn how to effectively talk about housing.

Guest Speaker: Sara Maxana, Project Manager for the City of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) and Policy Advisor to Mayor Jenny Durkan

Contribute your voice! Learn how to influence housing affordability, policy, and local decision-making. Our local government relies on the public voice to help shape the future growth and every voice matters.

Guest Speakers: Sara Maxana and John Stovall

Help us celebrate another successful Housing Week! There will be local housing enthusiasts sharing 5 Minutes of Brilliance for Bold Ideas for Housing Action, we will award our Housing Luminaries, have our Housing Week Newcomer Raffle, and of course save time for networking with beer and light food.

Kulshan Community Land Trust can help you navigate the home buying process in their free Homebuyer Education class. In six hours, they will cover the homebuying process from the very beginning to the move-in date. They want to de-mystify the process and leave lots of time to hear your questions. You will hear from a KulshanCLT representative, a local loan officer and a real estate broker about how to prepare for the road to homeownership.