‘One facet of the solution’: Services facility for Bellingham homeless is closer to reality

A project almost six years in the making that is designed to fill a gap in services for the homeless in Bellingham is nearing reality as bids are out for its construction.

The Way Station is a project designed to provide people with a range of health and social services to assist their transition to more permanent housing. The two-part facility will provide hygiene services and clinical care on a walk-in basis as well as medical respite for people without homes who are discharged from the hospital and are in need of a place to recuperate and heal.

“We knew, as an organization, that we had specific needs that weren’t being addressed for our unhoused patients and thought we might consider some specialized services,” said Chris Kobdish, director of planning and development at Unity Care NW.

The facility will be jointly operated by Unity Care, Opportunity Council, PeaceHealth and the Whatcom County Health Department in the existing building at 1500 N. State Street.

The building already on site will be renovated to accommodate the necessary services that Way Station will provide.

The bottom floor will house all of the services, with 17 beds available in the 24/7 medical respite program. Only patients referred by PeaceHealth who have been discharged from the hospital may enter that program. The hygiene and clinical care area will offer showers, laundry and restroom facilities. That will be accessible to anyone and will be open during set business hours on specific days.

“Our hope is that by combining all these services together, we will be able to have a one-stop place for a variety of services — case management, hygiene, medical and behavioral health services and housing case management, with the goal of getting people healthier and closer to being housed,” Kobdish told The Bellingham Herald.

Even with this new facility, much more still needs to be done locally to address homelessness, Kobdish said.

“The hope is that when (individuals) are released, they’re healthier and closer to housing,” Kobdish said. “Housing is difficult to find in Whatcom County, so this is only one facet of the solution. We still need to find more housing for people,” Kobdish said.

At least 742 people in Whatcom County are homeless on any given night and one in four local working families can’t afford their basic needs, according to the city of Bellingham.

The Way Station renovation is expected to cost about $11 million, Whatcom County Facilities Manager Rob Ney said.

Though the initial renovation cost is high, Kobdish says it’s worth it in the long term.

“In the end, it will ultimately save tax dollars by not having that revolving door of going in and out of healthcare for the same condition (people are) trying to heal from,” Kobdish said.

Final building permits were issued in May with construction contracts expected to be solidified by June 30.

Project renovations could begin this summer, although there may be long lead times that delay the start date, Ney said. Construction will likely take between nine and 12 months.