Neighbors of Whatcom County’s severe weather shelter in Bellingham said “biohazards,” vandalism and trespassing issues have been on the rise since the temporary shelter was opened at its new location this winter.
The shelter’s capacity is set at 80 beds, though there are nights where more than 100 people have shown up, with some of them being turned away, said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health and Community Services.
Community members, including public officials and a few facing housing insecurity, gathered on Thursday, Feb. 8, to “work towards getting some better solutions,” explained organizer Adam Bellingar, who owns a business in the area.
“While I feel it important to provide the service, it will not be sustainable if the operation continues to destroy the livelihoods of the people in the neighborhood,” Bellingar wrote in a letter to county officials.
Bellingar has detailed ongoing concerns from business owners about increased trash, including used drug paraphernalia, and at least one open fire, in his letters to the county.
“It’s so important that we’re talking about this and figuring out solutions,” Misty Flowers, the chair of the Whatcom Republican Party, said during the meeting. “There’s huge gaps in how our services are working for this community.”
Lautenbach acknowledged that the shelter’s neighbors were disproportionately impacted by the facility, while also articulating the steps the department is taking to mitigate those impacts and serve some of Bellingham’s most vulnerable people.
The county, which runs the shelter, struggled to secure a location this year.
The Central Lutheran Church, which agreed to rent space for the operation, was the eighth location the health department approached.
“My coworkers are running the shelter and working overnight shifts instead of being part of intensive case management services for human services programs,” Lautenbach said, noting that there are also lots of volunteers helping with the shelter.
The shelter has only been closed one night due to insufficient staffing.
She explained that the department was providing services beyond a place for people to sleep, offering access to street medicine nurses, intensive case managers and nourishing meals.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, who was at the meeting, applauded the work of Lautenbach and her team.
“The limited resources the county has, we recognize it’s not enough. We understand that,” Sidhu said, but said that based on the resources available, the county council has been “very generous.”
Bellingham City Council member Michael Lindquist asked if local officials had discussed a day warming center, a place for people to be when the severe weather shelter is closed.
Lautenbach noted that had been the city’s responsibility in the past.
The issue of limited public restrooms for those who don’t have shelter during the day or are turned away from the shelter because of capacity issues was also raised during the meeting. The city added two Portland Loos in 2024.
Lt. Claudia Murphy, with the Bellingham Police Department, reminded property owners they can have a trespass authorization letter on file with the department, which allows officers to issue a trespassing citation for people unwilling to leave the premises.
She noted that often the threat of calling the police is enough to “motivate people to leave.”
If it’s necessary to call the police, Murphy told the audience they need to be specific with their language: Asking police to “move people along,” will not get a response from officers, but a request to trespass people who refuse to leave the property will.
In situations where trespassers fail to be compliant, they can be arrested.
The shelter is located at 925 N. Forest St. in Bellingham. Check-in is from 4-9 p.m. and checkout is at 9 a.m. the following morning. Dinner and breakfast are provided.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
