March 31, 2023 Dena Jensen
On Monday night March 27, 2023, Bellingham City Council voted to advance (first and second reading) “An Ordinance Prohibiting the Use of Controlled Substances in Public Places” toward approval by a vote of 5-2. The earliest final vote on the ordinance will not be until the next regular Council meeting in two weeks on April 10, 2023. If approved on that date, the ordinance would go into effect two weeks later.
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February 16, 2023 Dena Jensen
Time to call on Whatcom County Council Members to be proactive in making sheltering a priority. Contact info is at the bottom of this post.
With forecasted lows in the 20s starting to show up for next week this time, it’s all the more relevant to consider the on-the-fly severe weather shelter update that Whatcom County Health Department’s Community Health and Services Manager Ann Beck gave to Whatcom County Council’s 2/7/23 Finance and Administrative Services Committee which I’m including in this post.
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November 27, 2022 Dena Jensen
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2022, 07:30:34 PM PST
Subject: Update on previous email related to information and activation for accessible severe weather sheltering
Dear Whatcom County Health Department, Whatcom County Council, and Whatcom County Executive Sidhu:
Below my signature line, I am including a copy of the email I sent you earlier today regarding information on the County website and various social media pages related to severe weather shelters being available.
I wanted to write again on a related matter having to do with the recording on the night by night shelter hotline, at 360-788-7983.
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October 31, 2022 Dena Jensen
On Friday of last week, I had posted on Facebook about a recent article in Cascadia Daily News, “Bike lanes to displace homeless campers on Cornwall. At the time of my post, I was just responding to information in the article. Since that time, I have had a chance to listen to a recording of the Bellingham City Council Members’ October 24, 2022 Committee of the Whole discussion of the proposal to eliminate parking on portions of four Bellingham streets, including the section of Cornwall Avenue that is near the Bellingham waterfront.
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October 18, 2022 Dena Jensen
Keep sharing the things you learn and observe with our officials that will help result in more and better services for our community members who are in crisis or are in danger of being so.
Here is an email I sent this evening to the Whatcom County Council and the County Executive:
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2022, 05:31:04 PM PDT
Subject: Services needed to address more regular occurrence of severe smoke events
Dear Whatcom County Council, and County Executive Sidhu:
I have been watching the rapid increase today in poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. I am including a couple screenshots.
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October 14, 2022 Dena Jensen
I sent the following email to the Whatcom County Council this afternoon related to the presentation on severe weather sheltering that was given on September 27, 2022 by the Whatcom County Health Department Human Services Manager to members of the County Council’s Committee of the Whole at their meeting that day. Here is a link to a transcription of that presentation along with some highlights from it: https://noisywatersnw.com/2022/10/05/transcript-update-from-the-whatcom-county-health-department-on-severe-weather-shelter-plans-noisy-waters-northwest/
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October 4, 2023 Dena Jensen
At Whatcom County Council’s September 27, 2022 Committee of the Whole Meeting, committee members received an update on severe weather shelter plans for the upcoming cold weather season from the Whatcom County Health Department’s Human Services Manager, Ann Beck. I am providing a written transcript of that presentation in this blog post.
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September 18, 2022 Dena Jensen
Many of our friends and neighbors are put in a position to feel they have to work, without critical protections under severely smokey or hot conditions. There are currently no sufficiently protective provisions from our local, state, and federal governments for farmworkers and certain groups of people whom we have left to live or work outside during dangerous weather conditions.
I am including below an email I sent to Whatcom County officials today to call on them to take action locally and use their influence to urge state and federal governments to take action, as well.
August 18, 2022 Dena Jensen
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2022, 06:32:14 PM PDT
Subject: Transcription of remarks made about barriers to homeless sheltering and housing for veterans in Whatcom County at the August 4, 2022, Whatcom County Coalition To End Homelessness (WCCEH) meeting
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August 2, 2022 Dena Jensen
Our Whatcom County Council Members continue to need additional education and oversight on their positions regarding homeless services in Whatcom County. You can contact your Council Members with your input regarding the following information with contact information provided at the bottom of this post.
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