BELLINGHAM — Whatcom County Council members are scheduled to discuss a proposal next week that would withdraw the county’s financial support from a subsidized housing project in downtown Bellingham because of several overdose deaths and continued complaints about crime.
Councilman Ben Elenbaas introduced a measure July 8 that would end the county’s $650,000 annual contract with the Opportunity Council to operate 22 North as supportive housing for those who were recently homeless. Supportive housing embraces the “housing first” concept for helping people with mental illness and health struggles that make it difficult for them to maintain stable lives.
Elenbaas suggested “repurposing” the facility as a secure detox center.
Other council members said such a plan could prove difficult because 22 North — which has 40 studio apartments at 1022 N. State St. between Maple and Laurel streets — is owned and operated by the Opportunity Council, with help from Northwest Youth Services. It was built in 2018 at a cost of about $10 million.
“There are people who are dying in this facility, and as a council member I am enabling it,” Elenbaas said during discussion at the County Council meeting on July 9.
Elenbaas’ proposal listed six death investigations at 22 North in the first six months of 2024, along with several recent incidents, including the 2022 shooting death of a resident.
Additional consideration and a possible vote on Elenbaas’ proposal are set for 11:10 a.m. Tuesday, July 30, when the County Council meets in its dual role as the Health Board, followed by a special County Council meeting at 11 a.m. The council voted 5-2 on July 9 to take up the issue July 30.
Councilwoman Kaylee Galloway sought time for “a more robust conversation” and to gather outside input concerning Elenbaas’ measure.
“Do I think that things are perfect at 22 North? No. Do I agree that 22 North is necessary for our community? Absolutely,” Galloway said.
Galloway said that 22 North provides the kind of low-barrier housing that’s required to get people off the streets. Residents are assigned case managers to provide help with daily life, according to the Opportunity Council website, which acknowledges that the “impacts of COVID-19, changes in the legal system, and staffing shortages in the summer of 2022” created concern in the community.
“I know that eight deaths sounds like a lot, but we are at almost 60 deaths for our unsheltered population, and that’s just what has been reported,” Galloway said.
Greg Winter, executive director of the Opportunity Council, urged the County Council to keep supporting 22 North, in remarks at the July 9 County Council meeting, and in an emailed statement to The Bellingham Herald.
“22 North is on the front lines of converging crises in our community,” Winter told the council, citing the opioid epidemic, the skyrocketing cost of housing and a lack of behavior health treatment.
“22 North welcomes people who have experienced homelessness, who have invariably suffered great trauma and who are too often experiencing complex medical issues and disabilities,” Winter said in his statement.
“Making 40 vulnerable residents homeless and removing this important housing from out local inventory would be very, very counterproductive,” Winter told the council.
Instead of eliminating funds, Winters suggested an independent review of policies and procedures.
“These findings and recommendations could be used to make required program improvements. We are eager for that review and for those recommendations,” he said.
Elenbaas defended his proposal.
“When I heard about 22 North the first time, I was really excited about it. I thought that it was a really good theory. I wanted it to be successful because it seemed so simple. And if it could work, wow, we’d really be on to something,” Elenbaas said. “But that hasn’t been my experience. The outcome hasn’t been what we’ve been promised. The outcome hasn’t been a little bit worse; it’s been exponentially worse.”
