Do Bellingham’s tiny home shelters generate more 911 calls? Here’s the data
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 911 calls decreased 9% after Swift Haven opened and continued to decline.
- Most emergency calls came from shelter residents, not neighboring homes.
- City plans showed no rise in public safety threats near tiny home villages.
During the permitting process for North Haven, a tiny home village for people experiencing homelessness, community members expressed concern that the shelter might decrease the level of safety in nearby neighborhoods.
However, 911 call data collected around previous tiny home villages in Bellingham has not reflected that worry, according to analysis by the city of Bellingham’s Planning and Community Development Department.
North Haven opened in May at 3300 Northwest Ave. The tiny home village is a combination of two other pre-existing tiny home communities, Swift Haven and Unity Village, which were made to relocate when their temporary shelter permits expired.
The number of calls within a half-mile radius of Swift Haven decreased after the village was established.
Eight months before the tiny homes were built, police responded to the area 1,671 times. In the eight months after Swift Haven was established, police responded to the same area 1,521 times, which is a 9% drop from the previous period. In the eight months following the drop, the number of total calls in the area decreased to 1,485, another 2% decrease.
Doug Gustafson, chairman of HomesNOW!, the nonprofit that operates the village, attributed the decrease in calls to the presence of the homes that take up otherwise empty spaces in neighborhoods.
“We are now occupying this parking lot, so now, nobody is in here trying to camp or do drugs,” Gustafson said. “Activities that could happen around here don’t.”
In preparation for North Haven’s permitting process, city planners reviewed 911 call data from Unity Village and Swift Haven. In both cases, most of the calls came from residents or volunteer staff at the shelters.
The Planning and Community Development Department concluded that issues at the villages were escalated to the Bellingham Police Department as needed by guests of the shelter and resident managers, and that any problems were limited to the villages, not the surrounding area.
The analysis did show that Gardenview, another Bellingham tiny home village owned by a different operator, had a higher internal 911 call volume than the other villages. However, that difference was attributed to Gardenview’s “medically fragile” population, which the village’s operators employ paid staff to take care of.
The analysis warned that at least six years of data would be needed to conclusively determine any significant impact of the tiny home villages on 911 call data in the surrounding area. Temporary shelter permits last two years with a potential for a one-year renewal, making it unlikely that data could be collected.
Using a combination of local housing funds, the city originally purchased the North Haven property to build affordable housing in the future. Relocating Swift Haven and Unity Village cost a total of $1.4 million, and the price of the property was $1.2 million. The city is also giving $50,000 to North Haven on an annual basis for their operations.
Tara Sundin, the city’s Community and Economic Development Manager said shelters offer a safe alternative to outdoor living.
“While permanent housing remains our ultimate goal and the City continues working on permanent housing solutions, the reality is that housing has become out of reach for many and it may take time for them to find an affordable solution,” Sundin wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald. “In the meantime, shelters are an important resource. They provide not only protection, but also access to services that help people take steps toward stability and long-term housing.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 7:06 AM.
