Petition urges higher temperature threshold for Bellingham’s severe weather shelter
A petition to increase the temperature threshold for opening the severe winter weather shelter in Bellingham is gaining momentum.
“It’s taken off like wildfire and people are very supportive,” said petition organizer Tukayote Helianthus in an interview with The Herald.
A temporary severe weather shelter is opened every fall and winter in Whatcom County to prevent dangerous cold exposure for individuals living outside.
This year’s shelter is expected to operate through March 2025, opening its doors to unhoused individuals when overnight temperatures are expected to fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below in Bellingham. That threshold is up from 28 degrees Fahrenheit last winter after multiple factors were considered including shelter permitting restrictions, staffing availability and operating budget, according to Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS).
The Change.org petition urges Whatcom County Officials to further raise the winter weather shelter threshold to 40°F, including wind chill, “to account for the life-threatening effects of wind chill and wet conditions, which can cause hypothermia at temperatures well above freezing.”
“Hypothermia can set in at temperatures as high as 50°F under certain conditions, such as rain or wind. At 40°F with a wind speed of 10-15 mph, the perceived temperature can drop to near freezing, putting lives at risk. This is especially true for our unsheltered community members who have limited access to resources or protection from the elements,” the petition states.
Hypothermia is a condition in which a person’s body temperature has dropped significantly below normal, occurring from inadequate protection against exposure to cold temperatures. Wet clothing and wind chill as well as added factors like exhaustion or hunger directly influence the risk and extent of hypothermia, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
The petition starter argues this change would be cost-effective for the community as well, reducing the financial burden on emergency services, policing and medical care.
“As with most things in life, prevention is often cheaper than the cure,” Helianthus told The Herald. “Preventing winter weather exposure is going to be cheaper than death, than hospitalization.”
WCHCS says it recognizes the challenges people face outside when the weather is cold. But with no dedicated budget for operating the shelter, expenses related to it must be pulled from other housing services.
“The temperature threshold will significantly impact the number of operating nights and, consequently, the seasonal costs of running the shelter,” said WCHCS Communications Specialist Marie Duckworth in a statement to The Herald.
WCHCS estimates that the shelter will operate for between 40 and 50 nights at the 32-degree threshold this season. With a cost of about $150,000 to get the shelter up and running along with an additional cost of between $8,000 and $10,000 for every night of operation, the County estimates a total project cost of between $500,000 and $700,000 over the winter season.
An analysis conducted by WCHCS comparing temperature thresholds of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 35 degrees Fahrenheit found that raising the operating threshold by just three degrees would require the shelter to open for an additional 28 nights between November 1 and March 31, likely costing the County an additional $200,000 to $300,000 in operating costs for the season.
“If the threshold were increased by even these three degrees, cuts to existing programs of equal cost would be required,” Duckworth said. “As it is, the shelter may need to close earlier than anticipated if funding is exhausted before the end of March. We haven’t done the weather analysis on a 40-degree threshold but can only assume it would trigger a significantly higher number of operating nights because of the significantly higher number of nights that would reach the 40-degree threshold.”
Staffing is also a challenge for WCHCS, which has no dedicated staff whose only job is to work at the shelter when it’s open. The shelter relies on volunteers and other Health and Community Services staff flexing their schedules to support operations.
“All these staff have other, primary jobs that they are taken away from when the shelter is open. Many of them work in other housing-related programs or in our Response Systems Division programs like GRACE and LEAD. These are crucial staff doing crucial work in their ‘day jobs,’” Duckworth said.
By Wednesday evening, the petition had gathered more than 200 signatures. Helianthus said he hoped to see it receive 1,000 signatures.
“Every life matters, and together, we can ensure our community offers safety and dignity to those most in need,” the petition states.
The Severe Weather Shelter is located in the Lutheran Community Services Northwest building at 925 N. Forest St. and will provide overnight shelter space for up to 70 people.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
