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More information is available on the Commerce Community Engagement page. The survey closes at the end of June.
If you need any assistance accessing the information or completing the survey, email [email protected]
 Community stewardship
 A small Commerce team visited the Lummi Nation in March to learn about impactful projects shaping the community's future. Read more about the visit on LinkedIn.
Taking tribal concerns seriously — and taking action
There are many ways that emphasizing good customer service and listening to community input can change outcomes and communities for the better. This winter, when our Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) received an email from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community about concerns with a proposed clean energy research project, we took action.
I worked with the OTR team, along with the Energy Division, and we determined that Commerce’s best – and the right – approach was to honor tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. We chose to make the timely and decisive recommendation that we rescind the funding.
Read the full press release about the rescinded funding.
We also signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Tulalip Tribes, bringing us to six MOUs with tribal nations we share land with in Washington. The MOUs will improve their ability to do business with Commerce, reducing unnecessary red tape and administrative barriers and increasing efficiency.
This experience highlights the need for Commerce to recall its responsibilities to consult with tribal nations under Executive Order 21-02. We hope that before the end of the year Commerce will provide tribes with a consultation portal to streamline their access to information and opportunities to provide feedback on Commerce-funded projects that potentially impact tribes.
Hoh Rain Forest road reopens thanks to Commerce action
We helped reduce burdensome red tape to respond to community need after a washout closed the only access road into the Olympic National Park's Hoh Rain Forest. As a result of quick action from Commerce and the Governor's Office after last fall's bomb cyclone, the road reopened in May, in time for the summer tourist season and the businesses and communities that depend on the national park.
Gov. Ferguson was at the ribbon cutting for the newly repaired road on May 8. The Governor directed funding from the Economic Development Strategic Reserve Fund (SRF), which Commerce administers, to help repair the road.
The RCW establishing the fund also allows Commerce to identify projects, such as this one, which would pave the way (pun intended) for economic development. Commerce’s business development team acted quickly with the Economic Development Council of Jefferson County to prepare and submit the application to the SRF. As a result, $623,000 in state funds was directed to repair the road, along with about $27,000 in private donations.
According to Jefferson County officials, approximately 450,000 people visited the rain forest in 2024, spending more than $440 million. Without those visitors, the community would suffer. The funding will support the whole county’s economic future, as well as six businesses that employ about 30 people.
Without visitor access, any or all of those businesses could have closed, resulting in job losses and economic hardship county-wide. Instead, thanks to the state’s fast response and our help, the road is open and ready for summer visitors to the Olympic Peninsula.
Photo: Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks during the Hoh Rain Forest Road reopening in May. Photo courtesy the Governor's Office.
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 Office of Homeless Youth team members and representatives from Washington attended the International Conference on the Prevention of Youth Homelessness in Toronto this spring.
Youth, young adults take the lead on homelessness issues
Customer service means listening to what people in impacted communities need, including people experiencing homelessness. Housing and homelessness is a top priority for Gov. Ferguson and me, as most of the state’s housing work is done within Commerce.
We’re making progress. Thanks to the Office of Homeless Youth and its commitment to listening to youth and young people, youth homelessness has declined by 40% from 2016 to 2023. That means that there are nearly 10,000 kids in our state who are securely housed today that weren’t in 2016.
Cacey Hanauer-Sutton joined Commerce this spring as the new OHY executive director, and I know that she has the same dedication to centering lived experience and continuing to bring youth into safe and secure shelter.
This Commerce-funded program will support youth exiting homelessness
Commerce celebrated the groundbreaking of the Broadway Center for Youth, a new community hub to address youth homelessness in King County, earlier this year. You can watch a short video about the event here.
Located at the corner of Broadway and Pine in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the project will pair 84 units of affordable housing provided by Community Roots Housing with YouthCare’s Constellation Center—a first-of-its-kind resource offering workforce training, education and wrap-around services for youth experiencing homelessness. That means kids can find safe shelter, mental health care, and job training at the same place, with fewer barriers to entry.
Commerce supported the development with over $18 million in funding from the state Housing Trust Fund. Additional funding was provided by King County, the City of Seattle and private partners. Fifteen units of housing will be reserved for youth exiting homelessness.
Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2027.
Climate Commitment Act funding keeps classrooms comfortable for Pasco students
State funding and services should help solve problems, and students and staff at Pasco High School had a problem. Space heaters and noisy fans are no way to keep classrooms comfortable, but that was the reality at Pasco High School for the past couple of years. Thanks to funding from the Climate Commitment Act, kids and teachers in those same classrooms will soon have year-round climate control from a new HVAC system.
I helped write the Climate Commitment Act when I was a State Senator, and I was thrilled to see how it can help our communities during my visit to the Pasco School District this spring. Commerce awarded Clean Building Performance Standards (CBPS) grant funding from the CCA to the district, which allowed them to replace the failing HVAC with a new, modern system. The district is also preparing more properties to switch to clean energy, including adding solar panels and wiring for the future.
“This funding allows us to make meaningful improvements that will enhance the learning environment for our students while also reducing energy costs,” said PSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Supports Raúl Sital.
Clean energy and comfortable classrooms are vital. Read more about all of our recent Clean Building funding, and on LinkedIn.
Open funding opportunities
As of June 1, Commerce has more than $40 million available in funding opportunities — not including $100 million from the Public Works Board and $1.2 billion in Broadband Equity Access and Deployment. Here are some highlights:
Resources
Commerce website
Jobs at Commerce
Connect with the Community Engagement Team
Public Records Request
Access the Contract Portal
Legislative resources
Agency contact information
 ICYMI: Commerce highlights
These are some highlights of our work this winter and spring. You can find more on the Commerce News webpage.
Social media highlights
Malden's path to recovery
Point Roberts takes resilience to a new level
State Broadband Office stands up for digital equity
Commerce, Tulalip Tribes sign MOU
Supporting new housing in Seattle’s Central District
Cecil Daniels’ choice to work at Commerce
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