The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. on September 22, 2026 (the transcript references September 21, but the instructed date is September 22). Commissioners discussed the 2027–2028 human services funding cycle, reviewed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, and heard public testimony. After extended deliberations, the commission approved funding allocations for 2027–2028 and made adjustments within several categories.
Okay. The September 21st, 2026 meeting of the Human Service Commission is called to order at 6 p.m. Live captioning is available this evening. To access this, select the show captions button in the meeting toolbar and select your preferred language. Staff and commissioners are participating both remotely and in person. Members of the public are welcome to provide public comments and listen to the meeting in person or on Zoom. Now for a role. Commissioners, please say here after I call your name. Vice Chair Hayes. Commissioner Gonzalez. Commissioner Singh. Commissioner Basana. Here. Commissioner Perlman. We'll join later, is what I hear. Yeah. And then there are no minutes to approve tonight. Oral and rent and communications staff will call the names of people in the order they have signed up, either online or in person. Members of the public may speak during one of tonight's oral communications for up to three minutes per person or agency program. After everyone who has signed up to speak has been called, staff will ask if there's anyone else who would like to speak. And so Giselle, that's you. Thank you, Chair. Grab the list. Thank you. Okay. Our first speaker for oral communications is Miriam Clothero with Mary's Place. Oh, actually, I have to push it. Yep. All right. Um thank you all. Uh good evening. I think my glasses will work. Um thank you for your service to Bellevue and for the thoughtful consideration you give to decisions that affect children and families across the community. Uh my name's Miriam Clithrow, and I serve as the prevention and stability director for Mary's Place. I'm here to respectfully ask you to reconsider the recommendation not to fund our request for direct client assistance and to increase the overall allocation for financial assistance to 10% of the human services budget in 2027. I know it's a big ask. Although Mary's Place no longer operates an emergency shelter in Bellevue, our commitment to Bellevue and Eastside families remains strong. We continue to serve families through homelessness prevention, rental assistance, and mobile outreach services. The funding we're requesting goes directly to families in crisis. It helps cover back rents, security deposits, moving costs, and other unexpected expenses that can really quickly push a family into homelessness. Sometimes a relatively small amount of assistance is all that stands between a family keeping their home and losing it. The reason we're asking for this investment is simple. Prevention works. With the same resources required to serve one family in shelter, we can keep approximately six families housed through prevention services. And through outreach and housing navigation, we can help roughly 10 unhoused families move into permanent housing. This isn't just a better outcome for families, it's a better investment of public resources. Prevention is also the most effective way to protect children from the harms of homelessness. With a family, uh, when a family gets help before they lose their housing, children stay in their schools, parents keep their jobs, and families maintain the routines and stability that support a healthy development. The stakes are incredibly high. We know that homelessness during childhood is associated with poor health outcomes, disrupted learning, and long-term toxic stress.