Here’s how Whatcom coronavirus quarantine facility could include winter homeless shelter
A former Bellingham motel that is serving as a COVID-19 isolation and quarantine center also could be used as an emergency shelter for those who are homeless during cold weather.
Whatcom County government and the city of Bellingham are moving toward using up to 15 rooms at the center, located at the old Motel 6 on Byron Avenue, for individuals and families.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood and County Executive Satpal Sidhu confirmed the proposal on Monday, Nov. 2, which would supplement shelter needs during winter.
Officials and community advocates for the homeless, who asked about using the motel, have been concerned about the recent cold snap, which will be followed by cold temperatures this weekend in Bellingham, with overnight lows in the 30s.
After talks with officials over a number of weeks, starting with the county at the end of September, G6 Properties on Oct. 20 preliminarily agreed to allow rooms to be used to “provide additional emergency shelter services for a number of homeless individuals and families in our community.”
Whatcom Unified Command, the multi-governmental agency directing the local pandemic response, opened the isolation and quarantine facility in late April. It is located off Samish Way near Interstate 5.
The motel has 60 rooms, two of which were to be used for office, supplies and support services.
As a COVID facility, it can house up to 58 people.
Officials said they’re still working with organizations that provide homeless services on a management plan.
No date has been set yet for when those rooms would be available for those who are homeless.
Sidhu said the proposal is going before the County Council on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
“If we are able to identify an operator to staff the facility individuals could start to use the space at that time,” Sidhu said to The Bellingham Herald.
In April, Whatcom County officials said they would ask for reimbursement of $1.34 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for operating the Motel 6 site as a quarantine and isolation facility for COVID-19, according to a previous Bellingham Herald article.
That funding picture has changed, according to Jed Holmes, spokesperson for the Whatcom County Executive’s Office.
“There are multiple potential sources. It is possible that funding for operations will come from one source, lease expenses will be covered by a second source, while the cost of facility improvements will be reimbursed from a third,” Holmes said to The Herald. “Staff are working to ensure the best and most appropriate use of funds from each available source.”
Whatcom County Council member Tyler Byrd supports the idea of sheltering those who were homeless in the motel, saying that it hasn’t been full.
“The last time we had more than three guests at the location was Sept. 18th,” he wrote in an email to Bellingham and Whatcom County officials as well as members of the community. “Since then, the facility has ranged from empty to a maximum of three guests.”
“As we have already invested in the facility and its continued operation, it feels like letting these beds sit empty is a waste,” Byrd said in his email, pushing for 50 rooms to be used to house those who were homeless.
Sidhu said where the money to pay for the winter shelter will come from is being determined.
He said there were limitations based on funding sources because the FEMA money doesn’t include provisions for using the facility as a winter shelter.
Instead, money could come through the county’s homeless housing fund and/or CARES Act if the service is related to COVID-19 precautions, Sidhu added.
Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department, supports the proposal. The health department is involved in pandemic response for the county as well as helping those who are homeless.
“We are fortunate to have a caring community and great partners, such as the city of Bellingham and local nonprofit agencies, as we continue to provide support for those experiencing homelessness during severe weather,” Lautenbach said to The Herald.
“We depend on those partnerships as we also work hard to stay in front of mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Lautenbach said. “Both are hugely important and require collective effort.”
The emergency shelter at the motel would be separate from the cold-weather shelter that Lighthouse Mission Ministries plans to open in December.
The overflow shelter, as it’s called, will be at Lighthouse Mission’s former Drop-In Center, 1013 W. Holly St. in Bellingham.
It will accommodate up to 39 men and is expected to open from December through February, the faith-based organization said in a previous Bellingham Herald article. Christ the King Community Church in Bellingham will be a partner in the effort.
Lighthouse Mission will continue to operate Base Camp, an emergency shelter for up to 200 adults who are homeless that opened at 1530 Cornwall Ave. in July. The overflow shelter was needed because Base Camp already was full, its executive director said in a previous Bellingham Herald story.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
