Bellwether Housing

“Process to review form 990 bellwether housing shares the form 990 with the finance and audit committee as well as the full board of directors prior to filing with the irs. The controller and cfo along with board and board committee members, have the opportunity to review and provide input prior to filing with the irs.”

“Conflict of interest policy annual conflict of interest questionnaires are completed by all covered persons, which are defined in the bylaws as any of the organization's directors, officers, members of any committee of the board or staff employees that have authority to act on behalf of the board. Board questionnaires are reviewed by the governance committee and situations that may lead to potential conflicts of interest are reviewed by the committee. Executive management and staff questionnaires are reviewed by the cfo, who determines if further review on specific situations may be warranted. As described on schedule l, part v several board members, former board members and former key executives ("interested persons") have made loans to bellwether pursuant to the organization's impact investor notes program. Under the program, note holders receive interest at a rate of 2%. Interested persons hold $555,300 of impact investor notes out of the $8.46 million issued. None of the outstanding notes are in default. All impact investor notes issued to interested persons have been approved by the board and are documented in writing.”

“Compensation of key employees bellwether housing reviews salaries at least annually. Periodic salary surveys, market studies and the labor index for cost of living are key data points used to inform salary actions. The board of directors sets the chief executive officer's salary annually based on job performance and the market driven factors referenced above. Compensation for senior leadership team members is set by the ceo using the same market-based data.”

“Public availability of form 990 bellwether housing provides copies of its form 990 in response to direct requests to the agency. In addition, the public disclosure of form 990 is posted to the national clearinghouse and guidestar.org. Audited financial statements are available upon request.”

“As part of its real estate portfolio bellwether has sole ownership of 27 buildings in the puget sound area providing 1,858 affordable housing units. We create and maintain outstanding homes and connect residents in need of support to organizations that can help them lead healthy and independent lives.”

“Bellwether housing, through partnerships with several low-income housing tax credit (lihtc) partners also shares ownership of several buildings that provide additional affordable housing units. On these jointly owned buildings, bellwether is responsible for refurbishment of units, construction of new units and management of all buildings.”

“Bellwether housing is the largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing in seattle. We own and operate 2,952 affordable apartments in 38 buildings in seattle providing families and seniors with safe, stable homes, and by doing so, we build stronger, safer, more prosperous communities. We serve households with annual incomes between 0-60% of the area median income (that is an annual income of up to about $66,000 for a family of four). We house over 4,000 residents for whom market-rate housing is out of reach. We locate our homes near transit, job centers, schools, and community resources, offering residents access to the opportunity and prosperity of our region. Many of our residents include families exiting homelessness, independent seniors, immigrants seeking opportunity, workers earning modest wages, and young people just starting out. We believe everyone should live in a home they feel good about. Accordingly, our staff take pride in keeping our buildings clean, safe, and well-maintained. Bellwether's resident service coordinators connect residents to local services and benefits that can support them in achieving stable, healthy, and independent living. In 2020, we developed an ambitious five-year plan to build or acquire 2,500 new affordable apartments located near jobs, schools, transit, and services. To date, we have placed 1,050 apartments into service, have 1,300 apartments either planned or under construction, and have plans to acquire another 600 units of housing, which we will preserve as permanently affordable, all before 2025. Bellwether housing has four core programs. 1. Develop and manage affordable apartments. Bellwether manages the majority of its buildings in-house. We proactively plan for major projects to repair, sustain, and preserve our apartments. Bellwether plans to increase our portfolio by developing or acquiring 2,500 homes in the next five years. 2. Coordinate services that support residents in independent living. Bellwether's on-site resident services coordinators (rscs) offer residents resources and referrals and connect residents to activities at the building and in the community with a focus on education, health, wellness and community engagement. Our program supports and empowers residents to find solutions to solve the challenges in their lives, encouraging residents to work holistically on their personal goals and to contribute to their communities. We support community building by supporting resident-initiated social events such as potlucks, bingo, and movie nights. Our goal is to promote housing stability through strong, supportive social relationships. 3. Amplify our impact by providing development services to other organizations. Bellwether provides housing development services to other mission-driven organizations that want to develop or preserve affordable housing. Our services also include asset management, energy efficiency consulting, green retrofits, and property management. 4. Advocate to increase opportunities for affordable places to live. As a founding member of the housing development consortium, bellwether housing is part of a coalition actively advocating for affordable housing at the local, state, and federal levels.”

“Transfer of net assets from affiliated entities 2,501,034.”

“Bellwether receives a draft of the audit report. After the draft is reviewed by the controller and cfo, feedback and suggested edits are provided to the auditor. After incorporating suggested edits, a new draft is prepared and presented to the finance and audit committee for review and approval. After approval by the finance and audit committee the audit report is presented to the full board for review and approval. Finance and audit committee annually discusses the performance of the accounting firm engaged to complete the organization's audit and tax returns. Every 5-7 years, bellwether housing intends to undergo a formal request for proposal (rfp) process to solicit bids from other accounting firms to assume the responsibilities for completing the audit and related tax returns. The committee considers several factors in selection of the accounting firm including overall cost, non-profit client base, community presence, firm reputation, affordable housing expertise and quality and thoroughness of the rfp response.”