The essays, analyses and opinions presented as Community Voices express the perspectives of their authors on topics of interest and importance to the community, and are not intended to reflect perspectives on behalf of the Salish Current.
[Updated Sept. 20, 2024]
Commentary: New programs in the new Lighthouse Mission building will enhance a community asset
The new Lighthouse Mission building on Holly and F streets stands in stark contrast to the remaining Old Town structures, the industrial buildings nearby and the residential buildings further up the hill. However, the new building was not designed to fit seamlessly into the neighborhood but was carefully designed to flexibly meet the complex needs of the homeless community.
The mission has greatly expanded its capacity, housing 300 people in several programs and able to expand to 400 homeless during severe weather. They also have an active outreach program focused on the downtown area which works closely with the Opportunity Council’s Homeless Outreach Team.
It is the many new programs offered that makes it such a great asset. The 200 residents of Base Camp will move in on Oct. 8. There is the usual mix of men and women in separate living quarters. In addition, there are three new programs:
- post-hospital beds for those who are ambulatory and for medically fragile seniors with beds for 25 individuals
- a mental health program to house up to 75 men and women
- a new space for six women with children who have recently become homeless.
Each program has separate facilities for men and women, flexibly designed to be able to shift beds to accommodate shifting populations of men and women. Each of these groups of homeless have dedicated case managers whose goal is to help each person connect with appropriate services in the community. There are no medical personnel on the staff. Because some of the programs are completely new, the staff will also need to learn to adjust as these programs develop.
Hans Erchinger-Davis, the mission’s CEO, was my guide for a recent tour. He described the process of designing the building as a collaborative effort between all the staff and the architects, brainstorming what programs and services were needed and how to design the building to best meet the needs in view of constantly shifting populations in the various programs.
Clearly, all the spaces needed to be flexible, allowing many of the rooms to be used for different purposes as needed. All the residential and lounge areas have a balcony with a gas fireplace, most with a beautiful view overlooking the harbor. Those balconies facing the harbor will probably be the best place in Bellingham to see the 4th of July fireworks!
The kitchen has state-of-the-art commercial appliances capable of churning out 1,500 meals per day. The roof is covered with solar panels and there are banks of batteries storing sufficient power to operate the building for four days during a power outage.
Erchinger-Davis said that their screening process has a “light touch.” Only those with a history of sex offenses or current substance addiction were referred to other programs. Lighthouse Mission has a substance abuse counseling center across the street that can house up to 100 addicts. [Ed.: An earlier version of this story included a reference to counseling for sex offenders; the Lighthouse Mission’s license with the City does not allow sex offenders on any of its properties. Salish Current regrets the error.]
Except those who have been recently discharged from the hospital, medically fragile seniors and women with small children, everyone is expected to participate in some program, whether a training program or assisting in the kitchen or night supervision.
Although the Lighthouse Mission is a religious organization, no one is required to attend chapel services and the room used for the chapel can be quickly converted for overflow beds during extreme weather. There are six individual bedrooms for those who work night shifts offsite. Those who refuse to participate, provoke fights or use drugs in the building are asked to leave.
Although some of the training programs are run by other organizations in the city, the mssion will develop many of them in-house. The orientation is to help the residents gain skills that allow them to earn a living and exit homelessness. Some are task-oriented, e.g., teaching women how to jump start a car with a dead battery or learning how to use the building’s 3D printer.
Most of the training programs are focused on job skills. Among the more interesting involves the two storefronts facing Holly Street. One will be a café and coffee shop operated and managed by a franchise but also staffed by Lighthouse residents. The other will manufacture donuts for Bellingham businesses, also staffed by Lighthouse residents, as well as for customers to purchase and take next door to the coffee shop. What makes these ventures so interesting is that they offer an opportunity for the public to see that those who are homeless are not so different from you and me.
— By John Dunne
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