Application due date is December 4, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The Financial Coaching and Mentorship Project will provide $10 million in grants for community organizations and financial institutions to hire 45 to 50 full-time employees for two years. Each grant may not exceed $450,000.
The Planning and Predesign Capital Equity Program (PPCEP) funds planning and predesign activities for capital projects.
Commerce has many programs that fund the construction of capital projects and capital projects require planning and predesign activities prior to any award being made. Planning and predesign activities are often a barrier for smaller community-based organizations and tribes. The Planning and Predesign Capital Equity Program (PPCEP) provides grants and technical assistance to smaller organizations and tribes who serve underserved communities.
Alice Zillah, Program Manager
The last two months have seen so much progress in the Community Reinvestment Plan. This progress will be highlighted in the Interim Legislative Report (published and shared here by the end of the calendar year), but I would like to highlight one aspect of the great work our contractor, the Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage (HTFFSP) is doing: their public engagement and collaboration.
The HTFFSP model of gathering community input for the Community Reinvestment Plan is multi-layered, but centered and focused on engaging folks with lived experience in Washington state. HTFFSP defines people with lived experience as those people who have experienced or witnessed first-hand the impacts of the inequitable design and enforcement of state and federal criminal laws and penalties for drug possession and manufacturing. For early focus groups and interviews, this definition was narrowed to those who have experienced the most direct harm of the policy; individuals who have been incarcerated or have at least one close contact who has been incarcerated for drug possession charges.
During focus groups and interviews the project team conducted stakeholder interviews and discussions to learn more about state agency priorities around the war on drugs. The team has conducted interviews across program management and director leadership within housing, violence prevention, and more in Commerce and other state agencies. HTFFSP used the initial feedback to inform which quantitative data can serve to further examine these impacts. During the next phase of the project, community members will vet the data.
In its first two months, the project team has:
Please check out the project website for regular updates and ways to engage, like the weekly office hours Fridays at noon, or how to join in on collaborative efforts coming soon to you. The next stage of engagement will be data collection from larger groups of people, guided by an upcoming calendar of events that will be shared statewide. I look forward to sharing these events with you and you sharing them out in your networks! – Commerce Program Manager, Lillian Ferraz
The Department of Commerce is excited to announce it has finalized a contract for the Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage to manage the Community Reinvestment Account Plan! HTFFSP has proven expertise in BIPOC-led community engagement and academic leadership that will serve to connect us with the communities most affected by the war on drugs.
Their founder, Ms. Jesse Miller leads with heart as a person of lived experience with the justice system, community and state-level advocacy, and success as a small business owner. Her team consists of recognized community leaders with over 50 years’ combined experience in project leadership, and includes a faculty leader in Economics at the University of Washington-Tacoma, a director of the Black Brilliance Research Project of Seattle, and much more. We are excited to be working with HTFFSP on this innovative work. Stay tuned by signing up on our Stakeholder Engagement Form.
The Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Office of Equity and community partners, is responsible for building a plan by July 2023 to describe how funds will be invested to address racial, economic, and social disparities in communities across the state created by the historical design and enforcement of state and federal criminal laws and penalties for drug possession. These dollars will be distributed by Commerce as $100 million in fiscal year 2024 and $100 million in fiscal year 2025 (proviso).
In 2022, the Legislature created the Community Reinvestment Account, setting aside $200 million in general funds to be put toward addressing racial, economic, and social disparities in Washington communities disproportionately harmed by the historical design and enforcement of state and federal criminal laws and penalties for drug possession (the war on drugs). At the same time, the Legislature directed Commerce to develop a Community Reinvestment Plan to guide the investment of funds over four program areas: economic development, civil and criminal legal assistance, community-based violence intervention and prevention services, and reentry services.
Over the last year, Commerce has collaborated with the state Office of Equity and our contractor the Harriet Tubman Foundation (HTFFSP) to develop the Community Reinvestment Plan laying out detailed recommendations for how Commerce will invest these funds over the next two years. The recommendations in the Plan are supported by quantitative data demonstrating the disproportionate impacts of the war on drugs, and by qualitative data reflecting unprecedented engagement and outreach with community and impacted individuals.
The Community Reinvestment Plan Report (PDF)
The Community Reinvestment Plan recommends Commerce distribute the $200 million to community through more than 17 individual grant programs in the four program areas. Subject matter experts will manage the grant programs across several Commerce divisions and in other state agencies.
We are working on build out for a Community Reinvestment website and mailing lists to communicate information about our formal opportunities for ongoing community engagements, access to the funds we are charged with investing, and accurate and real time information about the outcomes of the fund distribution. Consistent with the recommendations in the Plan, we are building an implementation structure that incorporates continuous opportunity for input and community voice. We will have platforms and systems to hold us accountable and true to the research and recommendations reflected in the Plan.
If you’re interested in applying for future open grants, or being a part of the project, please sign up on our listserv for the most updated information, ways to engage in co-creation, and funding opportunities.
Commerce wants to ensure that those who were participants in this research project are invited to future co-creation opportunities, RFP updates, and more.
Sign up to receive updates for Community Reinvestment. Click to subscribe
Cristi Devers
Community Reinvestment Plan Co-Lead Cristi.Devers@commerce.wa.gov
Sherina James
Community Reinvestment Plan Co-Lead Sherina.James@commerce.wa.gov
To address requirements as detailed in the 2020 ESSB 6168.127(83), the Washington State Department of Commerce convened the Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board and provided its final report to the legislature regarding health care needs for workers at Hanford.
The Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board conducted an unmet health care needs assessment for Hanford workers and developed recommendations on how these health care needs can be met. The board reviewed studies on how to prevent worker exposure, summarized existing results and recommendations, developed key indicators of progress in meeting unmet health care needs, and identified the health surveillance systems in use at the Hanford site. The board submitted its report to the legislature on June 1, 2021, documenting recommendations on meeting health care needs, progress on meeting key indicators, and recommendations for the establishment of new health surveillance systems at Hanford.
Highlights of this work include:
The Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board consisted of members representing the following organizations:
– Department of Health
– Labor and Industries
– UW’s Department of Environmental & Occupation Health Sciences
– Harborview Medical Center
– Washington State building and construction trades council
– Central Washington Building Trades Council
– Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council (HAMTC)
– UA Local 598 Plumbers and Steamfitters
(2020 ESSB 6168.127(83) $250,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2021 is provided solely for the formation of a healthy energy workers board. The board must conduct an unmet health care needs assessment for Hanford workers and develop recommendations on how these health care needs can be met. The board must also review studies on how to prevent worker exposure, summarize existing results and recommendations, develop key indicators of progress in meeting unmet health care needs, and catalogue the health surveillance systems in use at the Hanford site. The workers board must submit a report to the legislature by June 1, 2021, documenting recommendations on meeting health care needs, progress on meeting key indicators, and, if necessary, recommendations for the establishment of new health surveillance systems at Hanford.
Due to the statewide emergency related to COVID-19 meetings are planned to be held virtually. If in-person meetings become possible, the time and location will be updated on this project website. The schedule is subject to change.
10:00AM – 12:00PM
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
This meeting has been cancelled.
10 a.m. – noon
10:00 am – Noon
Agenda
Meeting Minutes
10:00 – 12:00
Meetings to be held virtually until further notice
10:00 – 12:00
Meetings to be held virtually until further notice
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Agenda
Agenda
10:00 – 12:00
Meetings to be held virtually until further notice
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Agenda
Meetings to be held virtually until further notice
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Information on how to participate and attend these meetings, as well as any changes to the schedule will be provided on this project website as well as sent out to a distribution list.
Hanford Healthy Energy Group Final Report 2019 (PDF)
Alice Zillah at:
alice.zillah@commerce.wa.gov
Research Services’ 2021 report on nontraditional workers made several key findings about the challenges that hamper interactions between state agencies and these workers, including occupational and industry conditions, cultural and geographical factors, and the worsening of existing disparities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, under enacted SSB 6095, Section 1004 (10), the Department of Commerce was tasked by the Legislature to explore potential future uses of the Interbay Property located in Seattle’s Ballard-Interbay manufacturing industrial center that was being used as a readiness center by the Washington National Guard (Guard).
The Governor and Legislature appointed members of the Interbay Public Development Advisory Committee to advise and help identify potential future uses of the state-owned site. Assuming the Guard is able to relocate, the Advisory Committee will help guide the redevelopment process with the goal of recommending a use that maximizes public benefit.
The Committee met over the course of a year to examine the conditions required for the National Guard to relocate and examined in detail many different redevelopment concepts for the property once they have completely relocated. The Committee considered a wide range of redevelopment uses and made recommendations regarding implementation strategies for the future.
The report and all of the supporting technical appendices are provided here for public review.
The Interbay Public Development Advisory Committee’s Recommendations and Implementation Plan
Technical Appendices
Appendix A: Senate Bill 6095.1004 (10)
Appendix B: Location Map
Appendix C: Property Map
Appendix D: Guiding Principles
Appendix E: Project Timeline
Appendix F: Advisory Committee Communications Report
Appendix G: Military Relocation Report
Appendix H: Existing Conditions Summary Table
Appendix I: Current Use of the Property
Appendix J: Adjoining Land Uses Map
Appendix K: Land Use and Regulatory Existing Conditions
Appendix L: Real Estate Market Existing Conditions
Appendix M: Transportation Existing Conditions
Appendix N: Infrastructure Existing Conditions
Appendix O: Geotechnical Existing Conditions
Appendix P: Cultural Resources Report
Appendix Q: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
Appendix R: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment
Appendix S: Opportunities and Constraints Map
Appendix T: Evaluation of Ownership Options
Appendix U: Evaluation of Redevelopment Concepts
Appendix V: Industrial with Residential Development Case Studies
Appendix W: Redevelopment Concepts
Appendix X: Redevelopment Concepts Assumptions
Appendix Y: Financial Evaluation
Appendix Z: Infrastructure Cost Evaluation
Appendix AA: Structural Cost Evaluation
Appendix BB: Economic Impacts
Appendix CC: Transportation Impacts
Appendix DD: Tradeoff Summary Table
Appendix EE: Committee Member Correspondence
The current armory site for the Washington National Guard was built in 1974 and today the facility is insufficient and does not meet current National Guard Readiness Center requirements for mission support. More than 600 personnel are based at the site with weekend mobilization requiring the deployment of large military equipment into and out of the city. Furthermore, most guardsmen and guardswomen stationed at the site reside farther outside the city, making transportation and congestion issues an increasing concern.
The Department of Commerce is honored to have been asked to convene the Interbay Public Development Advisory Committee. The recommendations put forth in our November 2019 report to the legislature reflect the committee’s work based on a wide array of meetings, community events, and discussions with experts, community members, and interested parties.
At this point, Commerce’s role in this legislative request is concluded. Any further questions should be directed to the state legislature.
At the close of the 2017-2018 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature directed the Department of Commerce , in cooperation with the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), to initiate an inventory of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in Washington state, excluding single-family housing. Commerce and DAHP convened a 28-member advisory committee and contracted for a seismic study of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. This undertaking included inventorying and categorizing the URM building locations, attributes (e.g., building use, historic character), and vacancy or underutilization using existing data sets and surveys to the greatest extent possible.
This study’s data collection effort yielded a database with a total of 15,200 buildings, of which:
Of the buildings confirmed to be URM:
This study’s findings are not inclusive or representative of all buildings in Washington; they merely reflect existing survey and data resources that could be incorporated into the project’s database. They are not a substitute for site-specific investigations assessing whether a structure is a confirmed URM building.
The work to identify, catalog and ultimately remediate the state’s URM buildings will continue to be a priority for state government, local governments and the private sector. This project provides the solid foundation upon which additional work can build.
Commerce recommends that the survey materials to identify and validate URM buildings developed during this project be shared with stakeholders – including certified local governments, Main Street communities, state and local emergency managers, and county assessors. Additional data can be added to the URM building database should the Legislature seek to continue or expand this effort. Through an iterative process, the robust tools developed during this project can increase the reach and capacity of the URM building database, which can guide the development of effective mitigation strategies.
URM Building Survey (PDF)
URM Building Survey Methodology (PDF)
+ Regions
+ Counties
+ Legislative Districts
+ Government Buildings
+ Schools
+ Emergency Facilities
+ Vacant/Under-utilized
KIRO 7 News, Seattle and the Greater South Sound
“New Database Shows Buildings that May Crumble in an Earthquake”
Washington State Governor’s Office
“Database Shows Buildings that Could Pose Safety Risk During Earthquakes”
The Daily Chronicle, Lewis County
“Database Lists Buildings Throughout Lewis County”
KOMO News, Seattle
“Report: Nearly 4,500 Buildings Statewide Are At Risk During An Earthquake”
King5 News, Seattle
“Earthquake Survey Finds Thousands of Buildings of Concern Across Washington”
KATU, Vancouver
“Washington Maps Out Buildings Vulnerable to Earthquake”
KHQ, Spokane
“New Interactive Database Shows 727 Buildings in Spokane Could Pose Safety Risks During an Earthquake”
KLXY, Spokane
“4,500 Washington Buildings Potentially at Risk of Crumbling During Earthquake New Report Says”
iFiberOne News, Columbia Basin
“Brick by Brick, Old Edifices Pose a Crumbling Hazard in Quakes”
Bellingham Herald, Whatcom County
“Hundreds of Buildings in Whatcom County Land on State Earthquake List”
Alice Zillah
Section Manager
alice.zillah@commerce.wa.gov
360-725-5035
