Here’s how Bellingham handled homeless encampment near the downtown salmon hatchery
Bellingham continued its policy of clearing homeless encampments from public spaces, removing several tents from Maritime Heritage Park last week, officials said.
That site had become the focus of concern because of its proximity to a salmon hatchery, classrooms and other facilities serving the Bellingham Technical College Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences program at the Perry Center on the west bank of Whatcom Creek.
Tents and belongings were taken away by campers or removed by Parks and Recreation Department workers and bagged for storage, said Bellingham Police Chief Flo Simon on Wednesday, April 21.
“We’re trying to disperse new camps, especially in public parks and rights of way,” Simon told The Bellingham Herald.
Two recreational vehicles and a van with a trailer parked on D Street above the hatchery were allowed to stay, Simon said.
Trash and other debris were hauled away and no campers remained on the lawn Thursday morning, according to observations.
City employees didn’t meet opposition from protesters Wednesday, a situation they have encountered when dismantling previous larger camps recently, Simon said.
Simon said five tents were removed and officials reached out to six people who were living there.
Meanwhile, several new tents were pitched Thursday in a vacant lot near D and Astor streets in the Lettered Streets neighborhood.
And an encampment along Cornwall Avenue south of Chestnut Street near the Opportunity Council will be tagged for removal next week, she said.
Homeless advocate Markis Stidham told The Herald that campers have nowhere to go because many of them can’t or won’t go to Base Camp, the temporary shelter operated by Lighthouse Mission Ministries.
“We’re continually asking, what one safe place is there?” Stidham said.
Base Camp was 78% full with 149 people staying there Wednesday night, according to its website.
“Reasons are varied for why people can’t or won’t stay at Base Camp. Everything from our basic rules not allowing for criminal activity, to people preferring the solitude of a tent, or people maybe having conflict with a fellow guest. We encourage individuals to come and resolve whatever has kept them away or previously brought about their exit,” Lighthouse Mission Executive Director Hans Erchinger-Davis said earlier this year.
Stidham and several other members of the nonprofit Serenity Outreach Services spoke to the Whatcom County Council on Tuesday night, April 20.
“We’re finding that there’s police officers waiting around every corner. Whenever they do a sweep, so you can find yourself being swept from location to location in a single day,” Stidham told the council.
Bellingham City Council members recently allowed BTC to eliminate public parking near the hatchery because of threats from campers to students and staff, according to discussions at a recent meeting.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
