October 26, 2023 Dena Jensen

Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2023, 05:00:11 PM PDT

Subject: We are behind in supplying capacity with our emergency shelter options for this cold weather season

Dear Whatcom County Council:

I am glad for your new Facebook page and saw your post today regarding the Severe Weather Shelter that Whatcom County will be operating.  I am also grateful for the hard work of Whatcom County Health and Community Services to help provide some safety for people who have no other options but to live outside this winter. It is encouraging that Whatcom County has transcended the misguided 2021 recommendation for the County to *not* operate sheltering options after that year.

However, I do have some serious concerns about the shortage of shelter options for the cold weather season that is imminently arriving. 

I don’t believe it was communicated to Whatcom County Council Members a couple weeks ago, during an update from Whatcom County Health Department’s Community Health and Services Manager Ann Beck, that daytime sheltering and services, which have been available to those seeking them at the 24/7 Emergency Shelter at Base Camp, aren’t currently open to anyone who is not staying there overnight, meaning there are no drop in services for folks during the day. 

This leaves Base Camp available to serve only around 200 people day and night and they have virtually been operating at that full capacity for over a year. I am sure this is a wise decision on the part of Lighthouse Mission Ministries, since the environment can be much more dangerous to people when there is not enough staff or enough space or enough resources to amply address needs.

Meanwhile, Base Camp’s winter overflow shelter that was formerly operated by Christ the King Community Church is, so far, also *not* available for this winter. 

Luckily, Road2Home is operating their winter shelter at Civic Field for the months of December through February, and where people won’t need approval from Lighthouse Mission to be admitted. But, so far, as I understand it, there will be no daytime services offered there. 

Whatcom County is running their 45 person capacity Severe Weather Shelter this year. But opening the shelter still requires a “temperature threshold of 28°F forecasted as the overnight low” to activate the opening of the shelter. This leaves the shelter potentially being intermittently available for around 10-30 days of the cold weather season. 

And now we have our first warning of freezing temperatures over the next few nights and none of these shelters options are available yet, and due to the loss of capacity connected with Base Camp and their overflow shelter, we have less available shelter and services to offer community members than we did last year.

Also, I notice that the Whatcom County webpage for 2023 information on “Winter Shelters for Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness,” does have many helpful pieces of information related to winter shelter options. However, I believe this paragraph is misleading:

“What is being done for individuals who prefer not to access available shelter resources?

Outreach teams, like the Homeless Outreach Team at Opportunity Council, are making rounds to spread information about shelters, encourage people experiencing homelessness to make use of those resources, and address immediate safety concerns. For individuals who are uncomfortable in shelters or choose not to use them for other reasons, life-safety is supported by various community groups that provide warm clothing, sleeping bags, and energy-rich foods.”

This is similar to past messaging which does not inform community members that there are dangers inherent in some of the sheltering options for people who would otherwise choose to use them. Not only that, but the last sentence of the paragraph can lead community members to a false sense that people who are not in any of the shelters are adequately cared for, or cared for at all, which may well not be the case. It’s fine to let people know of all the options that are available but we should also be letting people know there are many gaps that urgently need to be filled besides the needed volunteers for existing planned options.  

Remember County Health and Community Services staff was understandably shedding tears last year over the lack of needed resources that season: 

“It doesn’t mean I haven’t still cried at home, wondering why we’re having to deal – like, it’s just – it’s so much because the numbers keep coming and there’s just – and you feel – I know what it’s like when you’re in that shelter and somebody is in need and you don’t have what they need in that situation.”  – Ann Beck 

I know it’s hard to connect with that level of heartache when there is a batch of fresh arrangements on the horizon for this year, but we are all going to be in a place to be feeling this as the season proceeds if urgent action isn’t taken.

All this adds up to a dire situation where we are not close to making the kinds of strides – or even communicating about making those strides – in a way that does not leave us falling behind in terms of last year, and severely falling behind in the face of the rise in poverty and homelessness this year, and its accompanying fatal dangers during the winter months ahead. 

I call on you to promptly plan and collect needed resources to increase shelter options and transitional housing this winter until permanent housing and accompanying services are available. I also call on you to work with the City of Bellingham to expedite the opening of an Immigrant Resource Center which can help broaden available resources to community members during emergency weather situations, as well.

Sincerely, 

Dena Jensen

Birch Bay, WA

---

This email was sent to the addresses below:

To: council@co.whatcom.wa.us <council@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Barry Buchanan <bbuchana@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Kaylee Galloway <kgallowa@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Todd Donovan <tdonovan@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Carol Frazey <cfrazey@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Kathy Kershner <kkershne@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Ben Elenbaas <belenbaa@co.whatcom.wa.us>; Tyler Byrd <tbyrd@co.whatcom.wa.us>

Cc: Satpal Sidhu <ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us>; ccmail@cob.org <ccmail@cob.org>; mayorsoffice@cob.org <mayorsoffice@cob.org>; Health <health@co.whatcom.wa.us>; phab@co.whatcom.wa.us <phab@co.whatcom.wa.us>; G. CC. Immigration Board <immigrationboard@cob.org>