Permanent Supportive Housing Advisory Committee

Uncommon Bridges, formerly BDS Planning & Urban Design, supports the Washington State Department of Commerce in establishing, managing, and convening a statewide Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Advisory Committee pursuant to the legislative requirements established in SHB 1724 (2022). The role of the PSH Advisory Committee is to provide guidance and recommendations on the administration of permanent supportive housing resources managed by the department, including recommendations to ensure alignment of capital, services, and operating investments and fidelity with the provision of permanent supportive housing. The Committee is made up of a diverse mix of stakeholders including people with lived experience in homelessness or behavioral & mental health issues, providers, and agency representatives.

In addition to meeting facilitation, the BDS Planning team works closely with Commerce staff on all aspects of the committee’s needs, including:

• Preparing agendas, meeting materials, and summaries for all committee and subcommittee meetings;
• One-on-one engagements and with all members between meetings;
• Developing committee-facing surveys and other inputs;
• Primary point of contact to all members on matters concerning their committee roles;
• Application, outreach, and screening of committee recruitment;
• Drafting and management of committee by-laws; and
• Coordinating and administering compensation to eligible (low income/lived experience) committee members.

The group is slated to be in effect through 2027 and will work with agency staff to set priorities and strategies for the State’s implementation of PSH support.