On Thursday night, January 23, I joined in the annual one-night Point-in-Time count of people living in homeless shelters, in cars, on the streets and other places not fit for human habitation. I was not prepared for how many people I saw in my hometown of Spokane, even though I visited only two places. The first person I interviewed that evening at Union Gospel Mission Spokane had the same birthday…
Author Archives: Penny Thomas
“Thrive!” program offers expertise to help high-growth businesses with up to $25 million in annual revenues expand OLYMPIA, WA – Expanding on the success of its original economic gardening program, the Washington Department of Commerce has developed Thrive!, a new program to help second-stage companies increase revenues and position for growth. Based on the Edward Lowe Foundation’s System for Integrated Growth (SiG) framework, Thrive! connects chief executive officers to subject…
Grants will fund housing action plans and city code changes to increase urban residential building capacity and streamline development regulations. OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce announced that 52 cities will receive a total of $4 million to address housing affordability. The grants may be used to support development of housing action plans, municipal code changes, subarea planning and environmental reviews – actions which are intended to…
Spending time in different communities throughout the state and listening to the people who live there is an endless source of inspiration for me and members of the Commerce team. The passion, creativity and collaborative spirit of local leaders and residents teaches those of us doing the bulk of our work here, in the often insular world of Olympia, volumes about what it means to strengthen communities. As we begin…
Community Development Block Grants will help fund high-priority local projects throughout Washington state OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce announced that 25 rural cities and counties will receive a total of more than $10.5 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for 2019. Twenty-seven projects were selected from 41 grant applications requesting over $20 million. The projects awarded funding will improve water and sewer systems, streets, community…
Summertime is perfect for getting out on the road to check in with the many partners who help Commerce fulfill our mission of strengthening communities. I enjoy nothing more than learning directly from individuals and organizations across the state how we are doing and how we can do better at improving the lives of the people we serve. There are too many highlights to talk about in this brief update…
It’s always exciting to gather with leaders from local governments, tribes, Commerce’s associate development organizations (ADOs) and other community partners to share our wins, opportunities and new ideas at the Washington Economic Development Association Summer Conference. In addition to participating in two great days of listening, learning and networking, I also had the opportunity to speak to the group. I shared some positive results from the last season – beginning…
Grants strengthen bold initiatives serving vulnerable young people in local communities across the state, including 23 rural counties OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth has awarded $11 million to enable communities across the state to respond to more young people in need of stable housing and support. The grants boost services and resources in 30 counties, 23 of which are rural. Funding was…
State produces a technical assistance resource to promote civilian-military coordination in land-use planning OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Commerce today released the Washington State Guidebook on Military and Community Compatibility, a technical guide to land use planning surrounding military installations. Primary users of the guidebook will be professional planners and municipalities. It also promotes general public awareness and information exchange about the importance of coordinated civilian-military planning…
Competitive process identifies 39 proposed projects at school district, higher education, local and state government facilities that will reduce operational costs and CO2 emissions. OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $8.7 million in grants to local governments, schools and state agencies for 39 proposed projects all over the state that will increase energy efficiency and solar energy use and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. “Because…