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City of Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB)

BEL-CDA-2025-01-09 January 09, 2025 Community Development Advisory City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board held its first meeting of 2025 with a significantly reduced membership, having lost four members since December. The board postponed officer elections until February to allow for fuller attendance and to accommodate new members currently being recruited. The primary focus was setting the 2025 meeting calendar and hearing a presentation from Rob Van Dyne, Director of Meals on Wheels at the Whatcom Council on Aging. The Council on Aging presentation highlighted their dramatic growth, with over 2,000 dues-paying members for the first time and serving 270,000 meals annually. Van Dyne announced the purchase of a former call center building near Winco for a future expanded senior center, doubling their space to 28,000 square feet. However, he also warned of coming challenges, including implementing their first-ever waitlist for meal services due to funding constraints and persistent demand increases since the pandemic. The board discussed establishing meeting norms for hybrid participation, particularly around camera use and engagement expectations for remote attendees. Members expressed desire for more city process education, especially as they prepare for the intensive NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability) review process in March and April. The conversation revealed ongoing challenges with board member engagement and the need for clearer expectations around participation.

**2025 Meeting Calendar** - No formal vote taken - Agreed to meet in February, March, April, and May for NOFA process - Summer meetings (June-August) to remain flexible based on need - February meeting will include officer elections and process preparation **Officer Elections** - Postponed - Unanimous agreement to delay until February meeting - Allows for new member recruitment and fuller board attendance - Only positions needed are Chair and Vice Cha…

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**Hybrid Meeting Participation Standards**: The board engaged in extensive discussion about establishing norms for remote participation. Members noted challenges with disengaged attendees in 2024, particularly those with cameras off and minimal participation. The conversation centered on balancing accessibility (bandwidth issues, privacy concerns) with community engagement expectations. The consensus favored informal best practices rather than written mandates, with suggestions for facilitators to actively check in with remote participants. **NOFA Preparation and Process Education**: Multiple members, particularly newer ones, requested more city process education before the intensive gr…
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**Shannon** advocated for more engagement from remote participants and expressed frustration with members who were present but not contributing to discussions. Volunteered for home share RFP review panel. **Rob Van Dyne (Whatcom Council on Aging)** presented optimistic growth numbers while acknowledging funding challenges. Emphasized the critical role of volunteers (400 providing 30,000+ hours annually) and stressed the demographic projections showing 40% increase in seniors over 60 in the next 20 years. **Jacqueline Fast** supported continued presentations from nonprofits and expressed gratitude for senior services. Inquired about volunteer opportunities for youth, including her 12-year-old son. **…
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**Rob Van Dyne, on volunteer contributions:** "We have 400 volunteers who last year provided and donated over 30,000 hours of help which, when we break that out at minimum wage, they provided us with over half a million dollars in donated labor." **Shannon, on board engagement:** "There were times in 2024 where maybe we had a lot of people with cameras off online and not participating for many meetings, and that kind of felt I felt a little defeated in the sense that they made the eff…
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**February 13, 2025** - Next CDAB meeting with officer elections, NOFA preparation discussion, and potential presenter **NOFA Timeline** - Applications close February, materials available to board in March, public hearing and deliberations in April, final recommendations due before May 15 HUD deadline **Home Share Program** - City releasing RFP on Monday January 13, applications due within 30-60 days, with Shannon ser…

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**Board Composition**: Reduced from full complement to 4 active members, creating recruitment urgency and potentially affecting quorum and decision-making capacity. **Meeting Frequency**: Shifted from monthly to flexible schedule based on agenda needs, with concentration in February-May for NOFA process. **Council on Aging Services**: First implementation of waitlist system in organization's 50+ year history due to sustained pandemic-level dem…
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# Community Development Advisory Board Learns About Aging Services and Plans 2025 ## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board convened on January 9, 2025, in the Mayor's Boardroom for their first meeting of the new year. Present in person were Shannon (acting chair), Jacqueline, Andrew, and Karen, while Catherine Freimund and Deidra Prado joined remotely. The meeting featured a comprehensive presentation from Rob Van Dyne, director of meals on wheels and more at the Whatcom Council on Aging, and focused on planning the board's calendar and priorities for the year ahead. With several board members having recently departed and new appointments pending, the meeting also addressed leadership transitions and engagement expectations for hybrid meetings. ## Meals on Wheels and the Growing Need for Senior Services Rob Van Dyne opened his presentation by introducing the structure of the Whatcom Council on Aging, which operates three main programs: Bellingham at Home, the Bellingham Senior Activity Center, and meals on wheels and more. The Senior Activity Center, located just a block from City Hall, serves over 350 people daily with 10 staff members and has reached a milestone of over 2,000 dues-paying members for the first time in 2024. The meals on wheels program, the organization's largest operation, employs 19 staff members and serves approximately 270,000 meals annually through both community dining and home delivery services. Van Dyne explained the eligibility requirements: "To be eligible for meals on wheels and more, the folks need to be age 60, plus, and designated as homebound where they can leave the house. But it's typically the only thing they could do in terms they have a difficulty shopping or preparing meals. Really trying to isolate our services to those with the most needs there." Van Dyne addressed common misconceptions about funding, clarifying that "A lot of people think meals on wheels is fully funded …
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board met on January 9, 2025, to hear from the Whatcom Council on Aging about their programs and services, discuss meeting calendar planning for the upcoming year, and address procedural matters including future officer elections. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB):** A city advisory body that provides input on community development activities, reviews funding applications, and makes recommendations on housing, human, and social service grants. **NOFA (Notice of Funding Availability):** The formal process through which the city solicits applications for federal community development block grant funding from nonprofit organizations. **Meals on Wheels and More:** A program that delivers meals to homebound seniors and operates community meal sites throughout Whatcom County, serving as the largest program under the Whatcom Council on Aging. **AMI (Area Median Income):** A federal measure used to determine income eligibility for various assistance programs. The presentation noted that 93% of meals serve Bellingham residents under 50% AMI. **HUD:** The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides federal block grant funding that flows through the city to local service organizations. **Wait List:** A new reality for Meals on Wheels, where clients may have to wait for services due to funding constraints and increased demand post-pandemic. **Consolidated Plan:** A comprehensive planning document that identifies community needs and priority populations for federal funding allocation. **Home Share Program:** A new city pilot program being developed through an RFP process to connect seniors with spare bedrooms to renters, helping address both housing inventory and senior financial needs. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Rob Van Dyne | Director, Meals on Wheels and More, Whatcom Council on Aging | | Kathleen | City staff member, Community Development | | Heather | City staff member | | Shannon | CDAB Chair (outgoing) | | Katherine Freimund | CDAB member, citywide representative…
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Government Operations Social Services Bellingham Senior Activity Center City Bellingham County Health Department Meals On Wheels Northwest Youth Services Opportunity Council Road To Home United Way Whatcom Community Foundation Whatcom Council Aging Wta Aaron Catherine Freimund Deidra Prado Heather Jacqueline Fast Jake Josh Karen Kathleen Nancy Hay Rob Van Dyne Shannon Bellingham Senior Activity Center Board Governance Board Recruitment Budget Finance Demographic Projections Fundraising Home Share Program Homelessness Housing Programs Hybrid Meetings Meals On Wheels Meeting Participation Nofa Process Senior Demographics Senior Services Volunteer Programs Waitlist Services Wheelchair Access