WECU neighborhood branch becomes larger space for Bellingham Schools’ special needs program
A Bellingham Public Schools program designed to help special needs students transition into independent living, employment and/or post-secondary training is now operating in a larger, more permanent space thanks to a partnership with Whatcom Educational Credit Union.
The Community Transitions Program will now operate from WECU’s Birchwood Branch location at 1600 Birchwood Avenue, which was fully remodeled by Bellingham’s RAM Construction over the course of a year to be repurposed as the credit union’s Community Resource Center.
The CT Program serves students who receive special education services in the Bellingham School District through the age of 21. It was previously housed at Bellingham High School, with participants frequently shuttling between multiple sites to access various services.
“At WECU, we are continuously seeking new strategic partnerships with other local organizations that prioritize the health and well-being of our community members, such as the Bellingham School District,” said WECU President & CEO Jennifer Kutcher, in a previous announcement about the partnership. “The building will provide the school district and their students with a much-needed solution for their very important work.”
The new location is near public transportation and has more space to accommodate the needs of the program. The building offers two large meeting rooms, four smaller meeting rooms, bathrooms, a full kitchen and a laundry machines.
The CT Program expects to operate in the WECU building for the next two or three years while plans are in the works to build a permanent site for operations in the future. Bellingham Public Schools signed a five-year lease with WECU to ensure the program can continue to use the space if site development takes longer than expected.
“This is great news for students receiving services in Community Transitions and our staff,” said Superintendent of Bellingham Public Schools Dr. Greg Baker in a previous announcement about the partnership. “We really admire WECU’s good intentions for using a building to help others, and they have always been a generous community partner.”
The CT Program had more than 80 students enrolled at the start of the 2023-24 school year. There is no limit to enrollment.
Community Transitions Administrator Analisa Ficklin told The Bellingham Herald this new space will be useful as the needs of the program and its students continue to grow.
She said her goals for the future, permanent space are a larger kitchen that can accommodate a culinary classroom and extra storage space. Locating the program on a community college campus would also be helpful in connecting the program’s students with additional education, she said.
WECU will maintain ownership of the building. After the five-year lease is up, WECU will reevaluate community needs to best decide who to partner with and lease the space to, according to WECU Vice President of Retail Erynne Hallock.
Credit union members will also continue to have access to a full-service, drive-up, ATM at the location.
WECU is a a nonprofit financial cooperative with locations all over Whatcom County. It was founded in 1936 as Bellingham Teachers Credit Union, with strong ties to Whatcom County education. WECU now serves individuals and businesses located throughout the state of Washington with more than 144,000 members and employing almost 400 people.
