Published February 13 2025
Centralized team to guide housing and homelessness response initiatives in the city
Increased housing affordability, availability and options are city priorities. To guide these efforts, Bellevue recently combined housing staff and homelessness outreach staff into a centralized Office of Housing for the city. The team has already begun tackling action items to advance affordable housing initiatives, and is holding events to share progress and information with the community and city partners.
The mission of the Office of Housing is to partner in delivering policy, projects and resources that accelerate production and preservation of housing in Bellevue. Their work also centers on addressing homelessness and building a welcoming community. The office aims to strengthen partnerships, leverage city resources and align teams to expand housing in Bellevue so people of all incomes can afford to reside within the city.
“This work is critical in our community and supports our vision to be a welcoming, supportive and accessible city for all,” said City Manager Diane Carlson. “Having a dedicated team focused on all aspects of our housing priorities will help us reach our goals and serve the community more effectively.”
Assistant Director in the City Manager’s Office Bianca Siegl was selected to lead the team as Office of Housing Director. Other team members include existing housing and homelessness outreach roles that are now coming together to form this office. Bellevue’s council priorities include housing, leading the council to approve the creation of the Office of Housing during the 2025-2026 budget process.
Near-term areas of focus include accelerating affordable housing opportunities on city-owned properties, streamlining processes citywide to support the creation and preservation of affordable housing and leveraging resources to invest in developing additional affordable housing units.
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As part of this work, the city is hosting a unique housing event, the Better Cities Film Festival, on March 6, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The featured films will showcase innovative and inspiring solutions being pursued by several leading cities to model what is possible toward achieving accessible, affordable communities. Register to attend.
The city is also updating its Affordable Housing Strategy this year, a plan initially launched in 2017. Development of the Affordable Housing Strategy update will occur over the next year and include a range of community engagement opportunities.