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MINUTES
HOUSING FUND BOARD
Regular Meeting — Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.
Commissioners' Chambers, Jefferson County Courthouse
1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (Hybrid)
Housing Fund Board Members: (* indicates present at the meeting)
Greg Brotherton — Chair * Viki Sonntag * Julia Cochrane*
Amy Howard — Vice Chair * Audrey Morford *
Neil Nelson * Heather Dudley-Nollette*
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Greg Brotherton called the Joint Jefferson County/City of Port Townsend
Housing Fund Board (HFB) to order.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: Chair Brotherton called for public comments, and six comments
were received. The HFB members responded to the comments, which were from Dove House board
members, requesting $50,000 in additional funding for the Dove House Emergency Shelter.
REVIEW HOUSING TASK FORCE APPLICANTS: HFB members reviewed the Housing Task
Force ad, positions to fill, and applications received thus far. Applicants are: Cheryl Weinstein, Kellen
Lynch, Michael Moore, and Viola Ware. After review, Member Morford moved to approve all 4
applicants. Member Dudley-Nollette seconded the motion. HFB members discussed placing the 4
applicants into positions, but it was decided to wait until there were more applications/members. They
noted they also wished to seek more individuals with lived -experience.
Chair Brotherton called for public comments on the motion, and one comment was received. He called
for a vote on the motion. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
NEW BUSINESS: HFB members discussed the need for the County to staff the Continuum of Care,
and Finance Director Judy Shepherd will work on the funding methodology for those with lived
experience.
5-Year plan outline review: Member Sonntag reviewed the rough plan with HFB members which
included: understanding needs and available resources, identify barriers and gaps in service system,
identify strategies to meet objectives, identify actions to fill gaps and remove barriers. She recapped the
Housing Task Force main objectives by month: April — convening meeting, May — needs assessment
review, June — strategies and action 1, July — strategies and action 2, August — strategies and action 3,
September — strategies and actions review with Ruckleshaus, and October — refine measures, prioritize
actions, and adopt plan.
HFB members participated in discussion and reviewed the proposed Housing Task Force timeline and
actions. HFB members agreed to take turns facilitating conversations. Also discussed was recruitment of
more members to fill positions on the Task Force. Members Howard, Dudley-Nollette, Morford and new
Task Force member Cheryl Weinstein agreed to facilitate meetings. Member Sonntag will provide
information for the meetings, but did not wish to be a facilitator. She requested a separate subcommittee
Fund Board — Regular Meeting Minutes of February 26, 2025
to plan each Housing Task Force meeting. She also requested that 25% of Task Force members meet the
lived-in experience criteria.
COMMITTEE UPDATES: Members listened to updated from the subcommittees:
• Data and Needs Assessment: Member Sonntag reported that she reached out to a consultant
at Home Base to review technical items, and is looking into data reporting requirements for
commerce. She would like to go to South County for more representation.
• Community Conversations Committee: They have not been meeting.
• Coordinated Entry Advisory Board: Finalized vulnerability assessment tool and working
on logistics next.
• Funding Opportunities Committee: Chair Brotherton reported that they have not been
meeting. He has been asked to look into bonding capacity for 1590 funds, and has spoken to
a few bond underwriters. He will be scheduling a workshop on this topic in the future.
• Shelter Coalition Committee: Member Cochrane provided meeting notes to the HFB
members. Chair Brotherton stated that the meetings have been going well, with a lot of broad
conversations centered around the Emergency Shelter at the American Legion. Looking at
design concepts for the Caswell Brown Village Phase 3. Also noted that laundry vouchers
and laundry soap are needed.
NEXT STEPS: Outreach to find more Housing Task Force members. HFB requested that Grants
Manager Amanda Christofferson attend the next meeting regarding staffing Continuum of Care, and to
address Dove House's funding request.
NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: Chair Brotherton adjourned the meeting at 4:31 p.m. until the next
regular meeting or special meeting as properly noticed.
Respectfully submitted by:
Carolyn Gallaway, Clerk of the Board
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