Bellingham’s winter shelter causing ‘disruption’ for surrounding neighborhood, residents say
Neighbors of Whatcom County’s severe weather shelter held a public meeting Thursday evening to air concerns about the shelter’s impact on surrounding businesses and residences.
More than 30 people attended the Feb. 6 meeting, including service providers, law enforcement, neighborhood residents and business owners, shelter operators and guests, and leaders from the Bellingham City Council, Whatcom County Council and Whatcom County Health and Community Services.
Local business owner Adam Bellingar organized and hosted the meeting hoping to find solutions to some of the issues they are experiencing while still supporting Bellingham’s unhoused community members, he said.
“I’ve been here a long time and I’ve seen a lot of anger build up over the years when things haven’t worked out. I want to open this dialogue to try to diffuse that, if possible,” Bellingar told attendees.
He said since the severe weather shelter has been operating, neighbors have seen open drug use, violence, camping and trash on the streets and properties surrounding the shelter. He said it has impacted the public’s perception of safety in the neighborhood.
“We need these services in the community and I don’t want to deprive us of those needed resources,” Bellingar said in an interview with The Herald. “But at the same time, how do we provide those resources without causing disruption to the surrounding neighborhood?”
Some of these instances mentioned at the meeting have been documented and reported to police. An arrest was made in late January after a shelter guest was stabbed near the facility during an altercation.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services Director Erika Lautenbach told meeting attendees that she understood and sympathized with their experiences. She said the organization is aware that the neighborhood has seen a disproportionate impact as a result of nearby services.
“One of the key gaps for this year is the day shelter option because the truth is it’s really cold still and folks don’t have a place to go. That ends up becoming a challenge for the neighborhood,” Lautenbach said in an interview with The Herald.
The city of Bellingham has operated a daytime warming center during cold spells in years past. Without one this year, shelter guests struggle to find a place to go between overnight operations.
“Having the warming centers in conjunction with the severe weather shelter at night is important — they work in tandem,” Bellingar said. “We need them at the same time.”
WCHCS has temporary measures in place to help mitigate some of the impacts, Lautenbach said. Additional trash cans have been added to the neighborhood and shelter staff take time to pick up waste on nearby streets. The agency also offers some transportation options for shelter guests.
Bellingar said he also wanted to see expanded transportation options and better security in the area to protect vulnerable individuals seeking services.
The severe weather shelter has changed locations each year depending on available space and partner organizations. This year, WCHCS is partnering with Lutheran Community Services Northwest to operate the shelter at the former Central Lutheran Church building on N. Forest Street. An LCSN representative at the meeting said the organization hoped to be able to take on shelter responsibilities in future years, which could mean continued operations in the same location.
“Our department has work to do and, certainly, if this becomes a long-term shelter there will be much more work to mitigate impacts to the neighborhood,” Lautenbach said. “We’re hopeful this can be a long-term partnership with Lutheran Community Services.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2025 at 11:07 AM.
