The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is finishing construction on a new shelter at 315 Lakeway Drive for families experiencing homelessness.
In partnership with the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County, the YWCA obtained the location, which will provide shelter for up to 19 families upon opening. YWCA aims to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 17th.
The YWCA is a non-profit with the goal of “eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all,” according to their website. The organization operates two shelters and more than 35 units of supported housing.
The new shelter will provide a stable position for women with children under 10 years old at admission, said Alle Schene, the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Bellingham.
There will be 19 soundproof rooms of varying sizes and 24/7 staffing assistance. The shelter will include bathrooms, laundry machines, showers and a warming kitchen.
The program will also offer robust case management provided by the YWCA in partnership with Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS). The program will assist the transition of families from the shelter into longer-term housing with greater independence.
The YWCA offers case management in all of its programs, but defining the service is complex as it varies from person to person, Shene said.
“It’s just meeting people where they’re at,” Schene said. “Of course, we have guidelines we have to follow, based on our funding requirements and all of that, but it’s really just focusing on the person and making sure that we are doing what they need - helping them put the pieces together on the journey that they’re trying to navigate.”
The YWCA runs a winter shelter program with Whatcom County, providing hotel and motel vouchers to families experiencing homelessness during the coldest months. The program ends in mid-March, which is why YWCA aims to open the new shelter on March 17, Schene said.
“One of the biggest obstacles and challenges, for both the people in the programs, as well as YWCA staff, is having to exit people at the end of the winter shelter program,” Schene said. “If they don’t have a place to go, then it’s essentially exiting people back to homelessness.”
This new shelter will be considered an emergency shelter, Marie Duckworth, Communications Specialist for WCHCS said. Emergency shelters are one step in the housing continuum, a framing through which Whatcom County approaches homelessness.
More options at each step of the continuum significantly reduce the number of people who are homeless, Duckworth said.
Median rent in Bellingham for a one-bedroom apartment rose from $900 in August 2018, to $1,483 in April 2023, according to a report by Shorthand Consulting in partnership with the City of Bellingham and Whatcom Community Foundation.
Alternative options for combatting homelessness, like rental subsidies, are less viable as rent costs have risen and housing has not met demand, according to the same report.
In March 2024, the previous owners of the building reached out to the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County to see if they had a use for it. The City and County reached out to a number of organizations, and Schene, as the newly appointed CEO of YWCA Bellingham, went for the opportunity.
The city put $1.39 million towards the project, as a part of a federal grant and a city sales tax, said Samya Lutz, the Housing & Services Program Manager for the City of Bellingham. Whatcom County dedicated $1 million from funds allocated for housing and homelessness services across the housing continuum, sourced largely from state grants. The case management will be funded in part by Whatcom County.
This was an act of stars aligning; projects like this require funding, property and cooperation from organizations, all at the same time, Lutz said.
“One day you might have a group of people that’s enthusiastic about something, but there’s no land and no money,” said Lutz.
While all future hurdles can be predicted, the YWCA is approaching the project with flexibility in mind, said Schene.
“Starting a new program, I think we’re just really trying to go into it with open eyes,” Schene said. “So that we can shapeshift if we need to, to make sure that we are filling the needs of the people here.”
Steven Colson (they/them) is a city news reporter for The Front. They are a fourth-year environmental journalism major. Beyond the newsroom they like to be outside with the stars, trees and water, or in busy spaces jumping to loud music. You can reach them at stevencolson.thefront@gmail.com
