LCSNW partners with Whatcom County to open winter shelter in Bellingham
Watch this video for a walking tour of our new severe weather shelter.
PHOTOS AT RIGHT: David Duea (standing left), CEO of Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and Marc Hander, LCSNW’s Community Engagement Manager in Bellingham, stand outside the former Central Lutheran Church building, which is undergoing a transformation.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest is taking a big step to make our presence felt in Bellingham, Washington.
Under an agreement with Whatcom County, LCSNW will host a severe weather shelter when temperatures drop below freezing. Services will be provided for up to 70 people experiencing homelessness. LCSNW stepped forward when no private organization volunteered to operate a severe weather shelter this season.
The agreement, approved unanimously by the Whatcom County Council on November 6th, will convert the former Central Lutheran Church building into an overnight shelter for guests on designated cold or snowy nights. LCSNW purchased the downtown Bellingham church property in early 2024, a few months after the 133-year-old congregation held its final worship service there.
The purchase marked the agency’s first venture in Whatcom County and our first time buying a church property. LCSNW leaders continue to explore other ways to help fill unmet needs in the community 20 miles from the Canadian border. For now, providing a low-barrier seasonal shelter is an introductory show of goodwill, said Marc Hander, LCSNW’s Bellingham Community Engagement Manager.
“We see a pathway to longer-term relationships with the county and the city,” Marc said.
The property is already serving as the newest outpost for LCSNW’s Santa for Seniors program. Volunteers recently assembled 200 fall emergency kits for isolated seniors in the Bellingham area and will pack at least 300 holiday gift bags before Christmas.
The severe weather shelter will be staffed and operated by Whatcom County. Under terms ofthe lease, LCSNW is providing a 6,000-square-foot indoor space as well as upgraded kitchen, electrical and security systems, and outdoor fencing. The prep work is happening now.
LCSNW Chief Executive Officer David Duea said agency leaders are excited to keep exploring new frontiers in Bellingham by thoughtfully evaluating the possibilities at the former church site. “We also want to be good neighbors,” he said.
