For over 25 years, the Policy Advisory Team (PAT) has provided recommendations and advice on affordable housing policy for Commerce and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board (AHAB). RCW 43.185A.020 requires Commerce to develop and administer its affordable housing program with advice and input from AHAB. Commerce has prioritized making our community feedback more representative of communities most impacted by the housing crisis and discrimination in housing.

Incorporating community members’ voices, particularly centering voices of communities that experience marginalization and discrimination in access to housing, was a priority throughout a consultant-led process, which involved multiple public meetings across 2023. As a result of this process, Commerce recognizes the need to improve engagement holistically and is presenting a proposal that replaces the current PAT.

This proposal focuses on the following strategies to increase the transparency of decision-making by incorporating input from diverse stakeholders with reasonable timelines, presentations and multiple feedback channels. 

1. Community-Based Housing Advisory Committee – Form a new community-based advisory group centering the voices of the most impacted communities.
2. Public Forums/Assemblies – Host open public forums without membership restrictions.
3. Task Forces and Work Groups – As needed, convene work groups to focus on specific policy products or areas.
4. Agency Partners and Consortia – Offer concrete methods for agency partners, housing consortia, and ex-officio organizations (currently on PAT) to provide their expertise in policy-making. Commerce will reconvene a statewide public funders group as a venue for input and coordination.

Review the full proposal on the Department of Commerce Box.

These activities will redirect engagement that has historically happened through the PAT and offer more equitable, inclusive, and meaningful opportunities to provide feedback and influence policy.

Once finalized, the next steps include establishing a plan to enact the final decision. At a minimum, these steps include updating applications for selection consideration, organizing a nominating committee, and preparing to onboard and orient a new group of individuals to engage in housing policy development. 

Meanwhile, additional engagement processes are scheduled and in development. These were shared at the joint PAT and AHAB meeting and are available in the presentation. These will continue to be shared through our monthly email distribution. 

You can review a summary of the evolution of the proposal over time on the presentation in the Department of Commerce Box (Crosswalk). The full Membership Working Committee Process is also available in the PAT Membership Working Group.