Additional funding approved to support Whatcom motel room housing for homeless families
Dozens of unhoused families with children in Whatcom County will continue to have opportunities to receive temporary motel room shelter after the Whatcom County Council approved additional funding on Tuesday.
The council unanimously authorized an additional $330,000 on an existing funding contract between the county and Lydia Place, a local nonprofit homeless services provider, to provide motel rooms for families with children who would otherwise experience unsheltered homelessness.
The original contract, which was approved in 2020, provides year-round funding for four motel rooms to be used as emergency housing for unhoused families and also funds supportive services to help those families exit their motel rooms and transition into permanent housing.
The motel rooms typically support between 52 and 56 families annually.
The additional funding approved this week will be utilized by Lydia Place to continue that support through the rest of the year.
“While the families are staying in the motel rooms, they will benefit from supportive services from Lydia Place staff who will help the families identify and overcome their barriers to stable housing,” the contract amendment document states.
The funding supports Lydia Place staff in connecting clients to case managers within 48 hours of their referral from Whatcom County’s coordinated entry homelessness response system.
“Case managers will strive to find permanent housing within 60 days, although some families will require more time to locate appropriate housing and resolve challenges to housing placement,” the document states.
The additional funding is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce Emergency Housing Fund (EHF) through the Consolidated Homeless Grant.
The rate of homeless families with children continues to rise locally, according to recent data from the Whatcom County Point in Time Count.
From 2021 to 2023, the number of homeless families counted has averaged 88 households. From 2018 to 2020, the average was 68. Juveniles accounted for 15% of all unhoused individuals identified in 2023. The youngest person counted was an infant less than a year old.
The number of families waiting for permanent housing placements, including families living in cars and other places not meant for human habitation, has grown in recent years, according to the county.
“Homelessness is a traumatic experience that is associated with a wide range of negative health outcomes; however,there are very few resources in our community dedicated to families experiencing homelessness,” the contract amendment document states.
“The shelter provided to these families, as well as the case management services, will allow them to avoid the dangerous conditions of unsheltered homelessness and give them opportunities to connect with services that improve their odds of achieving long term housing stability,” the document states.
