Community celebrates expanded housing for families in need
Bellingham has just significantly expanded its services for families facing homelessness by way of a new women’s shelter.
“My only regret about this space is that we can’t do five more of them right now,” Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said at the March 17 ribbon cutting of the 19 YWCA Bellingham units that will house 40 to 50 people.
The shelter came through a partnership between YWCA Bellingham, Whatcom County Health and Community Services Department and the City of Bellingham. The building, a former ketamine clinic located at 315 Lakeway Drive in the York neighborhood, will offer 19 sheltered beds for 19 women with their accompanying children.
Shelters are necessary to overcome local systemic challenges, Lund said.
“We have generations of poverty, we have impacts from racism and from violence,” she said. “A building like this is how we change and disrupt those systems while minimizing adverse childhood experiences.”
Lund also emphasized the city’s role in supporting such initiatives. “We have an acquisition fund, so when a community partner like the YWCA is brave and ready … we have the resources to say yes.”
Capacity and services
Seventeen rooms are filled through the Opportunity Council’s coordinated entry system, a housing pool that assesses and prioritizes people experiencing homelessness to connect them with available shelter and support. Two rooms are reserved for emergency cases, such as mothers leaving hospitals or individuals transitioning out of the prison system.
Many shelters impose time limits on stays, requiring residents to move out after a set period, regardless of whether they have secured alternative, stable housing. These gaps come from a lack of resources to fulfill basic needs, the strain on shelter capacity and the desire to divide resources among people, according to a 2024 report by the Department of Commerce.
However, some organizations, like Lydia Place, take a different approach, offering longer-term support with various programs rather than imposing time limits on stays. The YWCA follows a similar framework, prioritizing long-term stability over strict deadlines.
“It turns out (time limits) are more harmful than helpful,” said Alle Schene, YWCA Bellingham CEO. “We’re focusing on progress and placement … With the current housing crisis in the community, it’s just not realistic. If they don’t have anywhere to go, because there’s no movement happening with other supportive programs, then we’re basically exiting someone back to homelessness.”
The shelter operates with minimal barriers for entry. Families must be at or below 30% of the area median income, and children must be 10 years old or younger upon entry. According to Schene, the program had intended to serve only children under five but found that restriction too limiting.
The housing crisis
The Whatcom County Point-In-Time Count, or PITC, is an annual survey conducted to measure homelessness. PITC surveyed 671 households and individuals experiencing homelessness across Whatcom on Jan. 24, 2024.
PITC data is not the most accurate reflection of the total number of unhoused individuals. Because the survey categorizes people into household groups rather than counting each individual, a family of four may be recorded as a single unit. Additionally, those who are not registered in Whatcom’s coordinated entry system may go uncounted, especially families who avoid detection due to safety concerns. Many unsheltered families live in vehicles rather than encampments and are often fleeing domestic violence, according to the PITC report.
Data from Jan. 25–26 found 61 families with children and 391 single adults in shelters in Whatcom, with the much of the population unaccounted for. The report detailed how the housing crisis persists due to a lack of affordable housing and an overwhelmed coordinated entry system. Although services help many households achieve stability, new instances of homelessness continue to emerge at the same rate they are resolved.
In comparison, San Juan County’s PITC report from 2023 identified 148 total groups who have no stable place to live, nearly matching their 2022 count of 146. Skagit County’s PITC report from 2023 reported a total of 533 total groups experiencing homelessness, a 70% increase from 2022.
Given Whatcom County’s population of approximately 230,000, the county’s unhoused population is larger than those of its neighbors, Skagit with 136,000 residents, and San Juan with 18,000 residents.
While Whatcom has a larger number of people experiencing homelessness, Skagit’s unhoused population is proportionally higher, given its smaller population size. Organizations like Skagit Friendship House operate multiple shelters, including a dedicated women’s shelter, which plays a role in how the county supports its unhoused population, similarly to the YWCA.
YWCA’s approach
Women with children or pregnant women are less likely to find stable, consistent housing, according to Schene. When women have children of a certain age or give birth after living in a shelter as a pregnant woman, their housing options become limited due to age restrictions or shelters having resources for only one individual per unit.
Women with children make up one-third of the unhoused population, requiring needs that are different from single individuals. These resources, such as extra storage, privacy for mothers who are breastfeeding and supplies such as diapers, wipes and formula are resources specific to families. As a result, shelters are created exclusively to cater to families and mothers. Traditional shelters aren’t able to properly accommodate children due to the lack of these resources and services.
Gendered vulnerability is a common theme when analyzing homelessness, since women have been historically discriminated against, sexually harassed and disempowered. Women may avoid shelters due to feeling unsafe, experiencing abuse or being offered substances.
A reported 57% of women reported domestic violence as the main cause of their homelessness, and about 80% of unhoused women with children have previously experienced domestic violence. The report also mentions an increased risk of violence against women experiencing homelessness, including sexual assault and abuse.
Kristy Backer, YWCA Housing Program Director, emphasized YWCA’s trauma-informed approach to the shelter design.
“We make it our top priority to make everyone feel safe and comfortable,” Backer said. “Whether it’s their private spaces or locked spaces, we tried to make (the shelter) a place where it doesn’t feel institutional … A place where (residents) can relax.”
Backer highlighted the YWCA’s approach, ensuring women feel safe enough to share their experiences so staff can provide the best support possible. “We have very good relationships with a lot of our clientele,” she said.
The YWCA works with the Opportunity Council’s referral system to fill available spaces with women-identifying individuals who are pregnant or have children, Backer said.
YWCA services growing fast
When YWCA gained ownership of the former ketamine clinic in September 2024, the shelter was scheduled to open by the end of March. Despite juggling contracts and deadlines, they managed to avoid delays and open just months after the YWCA was granted funds by the Whatcom County Council.
“We were fighting against the clock because we have our winter shelter program,” Schene said. “That program was scheduled to stop in mid- to late March, and all of those people are moving into this building.”
Backer said she welcomes community support and donations to the YWCA, including bedding, hygiene supplies and monetary contributions. Donors can also visit Y’s Buys Thrift Boutique, which helps fund YWCA programs.
Before the women and children’s shelter, the YWCA offered emergency shelters, senior housing and supported rental housing. “As of next week when this building is full, we will have almost doubled the number of people we’re serving,” Schene said.
Ways to donate and a wishlist can be found on the YWCA website.
— By Neisha Gaskins