BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Bellingham city officials issued a release on May 10th, formally announcing their plan to move the drop-in center from its current temporary location at Bellingham High School to a new temporary location on Cornwall Avenue in the former Public Market building.
KGMI received an email from members of the North Downtown Property and Business Owners Working Group who were concerned that officials were meeting in secret to plan the move and that they were using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to quickly move it forward without a public hearing or comment period.
But in the release, the City said they will open public comment when the City Council considers lease terms and when LMM applies for the required permits.
Lighthouse Mission Director Hans Erchinger-Davis says the Drop-in Center offers much more than a safe place to sleep.
Erchinger told KGMI, “It’s a space for people to come in and they can get meals, they can get case management, they can access all of our clinics. It’ll allow third party providers to come in and offer veterans mental help or medical help or all sorts of different things.”
The center operated on Holly Street near the Lighthouse Mission before the pandemic, but it didn’t have enough space to allow for social distancing.
Erchinger says Bellingham High School has been a perfect temporary facility, “Our guests are so thankful to be able to use that space and have been really respectful of it. We’ve hardly had any issues whatsoever. And it’s been really great partnering with the school district on this.”
He says the long-term plan is to launch a capital campaign to raise funds for a permanent center near the Mission in Old Town.