BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County will not raise the threshold needed to open its severe weather shelter in Bellingham amid a community push to expand its service.
The county said in a news release on Friday, Dec. 27, that the shelter’s temperature threshold will remain at 32 degrees for the rest of the winter.
That threshold was raised four degrees from last winter, but homeless advocates around the community have been pushing to raise it again to 40 degrees, including wind chill.
Their petition—which has over 600 signatures—argues the current rules don’t account for wind chill and wet conditions, which can cause hypothermia at temperatures above freezing.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services Director Erika Lautenbach says that, while she agrees with the petitioners’ messaging, the county does not have enough resources to raise the threshold.
“It changes our staffing model, it changes the financial picture significantly and it also changes our ability to find a location and be permitted for our location,” Lautenbach told MBN’s Emma Toscani last month.
According to analysts, raising the threshold by just three degrees could cost the county upwards of $200,000.
The county says that increased cost would result in less funding for other services, like tiny homes, affordable housing projects and rental assistance programs.
You can find more information on the county’s severe weather shelter and other shelter options on the Whatcom County website.
