LCSNW partners with Whatcom County to open winter shelter in Bellingham
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 has undergone a complete transformation.
Take a look inside the overnight shelter on this video tour.
STORY UPDATED DECEMBER 12 — Lutheran Community Services Northwest hosted its first overnight guests in Bellingham, Washington, in early December, the first of many cold nights to come this winter.
Under an agreement with Whatcom County, LCSNW is hosting the county’s designated severe weather shelter when temperatures drop to 32 degrees or less. Services are provided for up to 90 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, led to the conversion of the former Central Lutheran Church building into an overnight shelter for guests. 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 also is 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 is staffed and operated by Whatcom County. Under terms of the lease, LCSNW is providing a 6,000-square-foot indoor space as well as upgraded kitchen, electrical and security systems, and outdoor fencing. The shelter is activated on consecutive nights when weather forecasts indicate the temperature threshold will be met
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.
