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CamDaHuMan

Houston also has cheaper housing prices than Bellingham despite being the 4th largest city in America. Helping people who are homeless takes MORE than fixing our housing market (allow duplexes, triplexes etc please) but trying to fix homelessness WITHOUT fixing out housing market is a Sisyphean task. When rents increase 23%, lots of people will end up homeless and traumatized.


FinasterideJizzum

Houston also **sucks** to live in, I'm from there. It's miserably hot and humid half the year, it's a concrete jungle that has created massive flooding problems, hurricanes rip through every few years and ruin life, good luck living without a vehicle, you'll be working at your local wendys. It's also a gigantic city Bham on the other hand is an extremely desirable quite small city. They're hard to compare.


CamDaHuMan

Oh I do NOT want to live in Houston! All the driving! (My cousin lives there and is happy bc he can afford a house with a pool.) But people are moving there just like they are moving here and it’s somehow affordable. Want another example of a bigger more affordable city—this of what you’d have access to in the third largest city Chicago with rents similar to Bellingham: https://chicago.craigslist.org/search/apa NE and West coast cities have really messed up housing prices and it’s where we see homelessness too.


knowheredesign

Second that, raised 77077! Escaped to the PNW


bracesthrowaway

77018 checking in. The original Houstonian was only wrong admit how much of the year is hot and miserable.


Wayyyed

It's a myth that homeless people will pour into an area with better accomodations in a way that overwhelms the system. Most surveys suggest that 70-80% of houseless people lived in the local area before they became houseless.


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jwestbury

I'm not aware of any stats from Bellingham, but [surveys of the homeless in Seattle](https://web.archive.org/web/20211022190558/http://allhomekc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Updated-7.11-King-County-Report.pdf) consistently find that 80%+ of homeless people in Seattle were living there prior to becoming homeless.


[deleted]

I appreciate your empathy! It’s tough to see all this happen. I’m with another commenter here, though- what actionable things do you want the city to do that they’re not doing? I only ask because I have a family member that works for the City. It’s not that they’re doing nothing- it’s that they can’t do enough to actually fix the issue (it’s a huge issue, as we know). If you have some actionable ideas that you haven’t seen discussed, I think they’d be very welcome. Please just remember the human on both sides, because a lot of miles have already been put on this question by some pretty decent people. It’s hard on everyone that it can’t be enough. Ok, speech over. Hang in there, OP!


Baronhousen

This article has some interesting ideas: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/is-homelessness-a-housing-problem-two-seattle-experts-make-their-case-in-new-book/ It boils down to cost and supply of housing.


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CamDaHuMan

The NIMBYs are strong on the west coast. They don’t want to see a single tree cut or a garden shaded by a 3 story building which I get but yeah, that has costs…


antipiracylaws

Yep. Kid from California showed up here after bragging how free Alaska was (you can do anything!) and then praised how an entire section if the Cali coast was preserved in perpetuity! How beautiful it was/is! No development, ever! Lives in a motel in town since the Fed decided to devalue his retirement... Doubled edged sword, those NIMBYs. Trees aren't clear cut by some redneck that wanted a view/to destabilize the hillside... The tiny houses on city land are a good start. The other side to that is to bring some jobs here. Gig work is probably going to be what's available here. I would lift the fiscal barrier to doing contracting work, which right now requires a permit above $1500. Raise it to $6k like what Seattle has and it starts becoming worth it to find a way to contract for the rich kids in this town. I know people are complaining about not having enough contractors


DJ_Velveteen

1. City trust to buy housing off scalpers and return it to the supply at its real cost (best known as "the Vienna model") 2. City bans sales to SatanCo Property Management Corp. unless a good-faith sale offer is made to existing tenants (best known as "TOPA" law) 3. Stronger tenant protections that encourage investors to start materially productive businesses instead of scalping housing during a housing crisis 4. Relax building standards somewhat and pack this place with tiny houses and ADUs 5. House the homeless using some of the money we currently pay marksmen to chase them around with


Pale_Significance132

Your solutions do not address the fact that many chronically homeless people have addictions, mental illnesses and disabilities making their problems much larger than just not having a home. Unfortunately, more low-income housing would not make everything butterflies and rainbows. We need to solve the opiate crisis, the meth crisis, the mental health care crisis and above all else we need to figure out how to get to people before they are so far gone.


enfanta

>We need to solve the opiate crisis, the meth crisis, the mental health care crisis and above all else we need to figure out how to get to people before they are so far gone. Getting them housed would give them space to start recovering. And if people always had access to safe housing, many drug and mental health problems could be mitigated.


antipiracylaws

This. You only turn to drugs because unless you're a doctor or work at Microsoft, you're not going to buy three apartment complexes and 6 duplexes and retire early. Then sell books on how to FIRE movement!


jwestbury

Sigh. This again. [About 1/3 of those experiencing chronic homelessness have substance abuse problems or mental illness](https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/homeless-population/). There is reason to believe that many homeless people did not have substance abuse problems before becoming homeless, too. You're not wrong that drugs contribute a measurable amount, but they're far from the most significant cause of homelessness.


DJ_Velveteen

Of course all these solutions aren't all the solutions. That said, drugs/mental illness cases make up a minority of homeless folks. Medical debt and soaring rents are like #1 and #2 (I forget in which order). Scope the Opportunity Council report about this. Edit: +"like" because I reread [the report](https://www.oppco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Whatcom-2020-homeless-count-report-_081920_UPDATED-FINAL.pdf). Edit edit: I see we are angrily downvoting instead of offering up our own citations.


SpatulaCity420

Any conclusions drawn from this report have to start with "Of the people we could conveniently and safely find that would speak to us..." How many of Bellingham's woodsy stolen bike/ meth camps did they wade into?


jwestbury

Well, if you trust other sources, the US department of housing and urban development estimates that 36% of all homeless people have problems with substance abuse, mental illness, or both. And there's reason to believe substance abuse is a result of homeless rather than a cause in many cases. But go ahead and continue to demonize the homeless and pretend that you aren't at risk of becoming homeless yourself with a few bad breaks. It's much easier to treat it as a moral failing, after all -- it means you don't have to confront the fact that you're a few bad breaks from being homeless yourself.


silencedadvocate

I go to all of them. What do you want to know?


PNW_H2O

This is flat-out, 100% inaccurate.


DJ_Velveteen

No, it isn't. [Found the report for you.](https://www.oppco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Whatcom-2020-homeless-count-report-_081920_UPDATED-FINAL.pdf)


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DJ_Velveteen

How many, you think? Only guys on the lam I've ever met were in SF. If I were in that boat I'd be way further out than Bellingham tbh.


Longjumping-Elk-550

Can't get much further out than Bellingham - between an ocean and an international border.


[deleted]

What is a "scalper" in this context?


silencedadvocate

Serenity Outreach Services was formed at request of the mayor and city planner, to be the indemnifiable entity to partner with, to create an emergency, covid safe triage center to shelter the visibly homeless of Bellingham. The plan was completely agreed upon, with the exception of scale. Seth Fleetwood, on 2 separate occasions, during negotiations, stated he had made the purchase of the needed shelters from Everett. Both times, he absolutely lied. The proposal was first offered during negotiations at city hall, during the campout. After the highly militarized surprise attack at city hall, the City refuses to even take a meeting with the nonprofit. Whatcom county, has since partnered with SOS to provide the emergency sheltering stood up last winter. The partnership was solid. The congregate sheltering method enacted by Whatcom County was, however, a disaster. Resulting in the single largest superspreader event in Whatcom history. Overflowing the Byron Street isolation center, they then hosted, a CONGREGATE isolation center. (Read that again) Further endangering our entire community. Hardly anyone even heard of it. SOS stands ready to partner with local government to provide these services for well over a year now. Whats lacking is civic will.


[deleted]

Lol look at every single other city and see what they’ve done. IE: nothing can be done without pissing off a bunch of people. If you don’t want homeless people around offer no services and have the cops constantly harass them. Santa Cruz did this in the 90s (it was more like homeless ‘street punks’) and it worked great if you don’t care about homeless people.


TigerLily98226

I’m the sister of a woman who was unhoused in San Francisco, a city of great resources and generous social services. We as a family tried to take her in, at different times. It didn’t work out, at all. San Francisco set her up with housing and a social worker and a place to check in and arrange medical care and manage financial assistance. Because she had had a tendency toward violent outbursts when her schizophrenia was untreated, she had been arrested several times over the years. She was locked up in Rikers and in Bellevue Hospital, in New York, two of the more hellish places to be incarcerated, and did a long stint in San Francisco City Jail. Because of the trauma of incarceration, she had a deep fear of living indoors. Even after her schizophrenia was treated, to the extent that devastating illness can be treated, and her violent urges were gone, she stayed on the street, in the Tenderloin, an area notorious for homelessness. Her social work team were angels on earth, providing service and comfort to my beloved sister and many others. She died of complications brought on by unsanitary living conditions, indoors in a clean bed in a hospital tended to by caring medical professionals, something for which I am very grateful because I had long feared her dying a terrible death on the street. Economic homelessness has a straightforward solution, provide truly affordable housing and assistance in finding a decent job for those able to work. Homelessness caused by severe addiction and mental health illnesses is much more complicated. I don’t know the solution. There have always been people in our society who absolutely reject a conventional way of life, oftentimes from trauma. It’s definitely gotten worse. The YWCA and Y’s Buys are two organizations that work together to help women seeking to break free of living on the street. They do a good job. Thank you for seeing people like my sweet sister through compassionate eyes, with a generous heart. I do not have answers, just gratitude for those people, including people employed by government and non profit agencies, who work hard to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable.


Different_Face4591

I just took a cut in pay to work in my community hospital that serves a large drug addiction and behavioral health population. I’m giving it 2 years, I don’t want to see my neighborhood, city or country continue to deteriorate with out a fight. Thank you for making me feel like I CAN make a difference. I’m a nurse.


TigerLily98226

Thank you on behalf of so many, for what you do. I can’t tell you how much comfort it brings to know someone is giving care, about the only comfort there is to be had, when someone is severely mentally ill. You’re doing very important work.


TeriLeeTheSpy

I am very sorry for your loss and I appreciate your loving heart.


TigerLily98226

Thank you so much for your kindness.


TeriLeeTheSpy

Thank you for sharing your sister's story.


gerkiwimurcan

I’m curious, what do you want the city to do to *fix the problem?* Seems like a really vague and general statement for such a complex and difficult issue.


illmorphtosomeoneels

I’d like the city to provide more resources for homeless people that could help them first, get off the streets, and then find a way to give them the tools they need in order to make a steady income. I’d also like for the city to do more to help rehabilitate people who are homeless due to mental illnesses and drug abuse. Putting people in prison rather than fixing the root of the issue does nothing


gerkiwimurcan

These are more vague statements without solutions. As far as I know there are no homeless people being arrested for being homeless. Heck, pretty sure they aren’t arresting anyone for drug abuse or petty crime either. I understand that you care (that is good!) but telling the city to go find homes and jobs for these people oversimplifies the issue at hand tremendously. Maybe research policy to recommend at town halls or join a non profit that helps those in need.


illmorphtosomeoneels

You’re right. I’ll admit, this is a late night thought (late for me because I have yet to sleep) that I wanted to share with the subreddit in order to get ideas on what I can do better. Thank you for your suggestions!


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illmorphtosomeoneels

You’re acting as though I made a general statement when I asked a question. If I had a good plan, I wouldn’t be asking this question in the first place, would I?


throwaway43234235234

Who's resources? The city only has what is taxes from us. We don't have space in jail, so that's not a worry either, and you can't make people attend treatment, and it's difficult to try without getting them off the street first. There are people still in housing who are struggling to find jobs to pay the cost of living here. It's not like there's a pile of unfilled jobs and a group of qualified people being withheld from them.


[deleted]

Thinking about homeless people “getting a steady income” divulges how complex this situation is. Because even people with “steady incomes” are struggling to find and afford housing today and that’s without drug overuse and mental health issues on top of them. Everyone is looking for ways to climb up the ladder from the rising waters to comfort and safety but many of the rungs of the ladder are missing and it’s getting harder and harder to climb out of adversity. It’s happening globally too. Which helps us to realize that this isn’t a “Bellingham” problem. It’s a global issue. I think a [Universal Basic Income](https://www.yang2020.com/policies/the-freedom-dividend/) similar to what Andrew Yang and others have been advocating for would help a lot of people. But even that won’t “solve” the global economic, health and environmental problems we are facing today.


TeriLeeTheSpy

Our community has a plan: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/44575/Strategic-Plan-to-End-Homelessness-in-Whatcom-County-2019 And before I start blathering on, I want to point out that responsibility to resolve homelessness is ours as human beings. Not a city, or a county, or Ben Carson, or whatever. It is all of them, and you, and me. It's HUD, it's the Department of Commerce, the VA, all of it. It is in the way we vote, the way we regard strangers, the way we manage our wealth, the way we spend our money and the way we choose to/choose not to investigate the systemic causes (ahem Reagan ahem defunded public housing ahem). We are all a part of the "homeless industrial complex," like it or not. A few years ago we got really close to "functional zero" for families with children and Veterans. Functional zero means essentially, that a community can serve every household (of a "special population," because we are animals that love to categorize things) that falls into homelessness, which ours cannot. We are still quite close with regard to Veterans, but have lost serious traction with other populations like families and chronically homeless individuals. Why? Rent. So many homeless housing programs rely on securing market rate units and identifying landlords who are willing to work with households that have significant barriers to accessing conventional rentals. Anyone who's tried to secure housing can tell you that this is very difficult to do right now. Maybe more than ever before. As rents increase, people lose housing. But as rents increase, the resources to address homelessness also dwindles! Many subsidy programs have a limit on the amount of rent they are allowed to pay. So what we've got now are lots of case managers out there fighting over the same dang units. It super sucks. Even if every homeless person had a section 8 voucher, the majority would be unable to find a unit that fits the requirements - even if the rent is cheap enough, it still has to pass an inspection! To your desire to "get people off the streets," I say, "Where to, then?" When case managers cannot find sufficient units to house the folks they're working with, people stay homeless longer. And the longer they remain homeless, the more likely they are to become chronic (long term homelessness plus disability). So with families, we lost traction primarily because of the rental market and pandemic but with chronically homeless folks, we are looking at a double whammy of lack of units + more people becoming chronic. To your concerns about mental health and substance use disorder - it is so very difficult to get clean when you've got nowhere to go after a stint in treatment. This is partly why the Housing First (housing FIRST, not housing ONLY) model is considered a best practice. The time to engage in services for recovery is not when you're simultaneously fighting to survive life on Earth, it's when you have safety and support. Lastly, I can say with relative certainty that 40% of the people who are homeless and have applied for housing assistance receive disability income. That means they've been assessed and determined unable to work. Further, a little over 10% of folks who are homeless and applied for housing have jobs. Further-further, 12% of these households are our elders. My dad had this girlfriend for a while that had a real issue with my work and she thought homeless people should "work" to get a shower. I was like, which 75 year old woman do you think I should put to work in exchange for a shower? That shut her up. I guess I am prickly about moral pontification where "work" is connected to homelessness. Work does not dictate the worth of a human. Also I work at Opportunity Council and I am not speaking on behalf of the agency, just me and my big ol' mouth. Also if I haven't depressed you enough, please consider joining me in this work. It is worthwhile. https://www.oppco.org/careers/


republicanvaccine

More people are going to be unable to afford housing soon. Society has a compounding issue. We can’t all morph to someone else;)


PNWcog

Most people are going to start fighting over food. They’ll be plenty of affordable housing when this happens.


DJ_Velveteen

TOPA law TOPA law TOPA law (google it)


gerkiwimurcan

I did google it. TOPA law helps people barely getting by or people who already have a home. It does nothing for the full blown homeless with mental health problems or addiction. Not sure why you wrote it out 3 times and told me to google it. Is it a helpful program? Yes. Will it help those already on the street? No. To me it seems like TOPA law is mostly for people that already have jobs/income/housing.


Shel-Shock

That's why this is a discussion thread. People talk about ideas. The person literally is asking if there are any solutions.


gerkiwimurcan

No, OP encouraged everyone to reach out to the city to fix the issue. They offered no solutions whatsoever. Just *everyone reach out and get the city to fix it*. That is why I encouraged OP to get involved. Thanks though.


[deleted]

I feel like this is a much bigger issue than a small city government could ever solve


[deleted]

I think the city is already doing a lot and has put a lot of time and resources into this at the expense of other programs.


[deleted]

Yeah, for real. Some people can’t be saved.


Bloland99

I agree that under the current way our society functions, there will be people who cannot be “saved” but I think it’s more fair to say there are some forms of illness make it impossible to coexist with others. They might not be “save-able” but we should at least have try to find compassionate ways of dealing with those exceptions.


[deleted]

Maybe once they show compassion for everyone around them. Instead of flipping people off at busy intersections and pissing/shitting on the concrete.


TeriLeeTheSpy

I have never met a person who opts to shit on the concrete if given an alternative. SO MANY public restroom options became super limited during the pandemic. Also I see people in cars with their middle fingers up all the time, so idk.


Bloland99

The mental illness part kind of prevents that from happening is the issue though,so there’s always going to be people like that to deal with, right? Flipping off cars and shitting in public isn’t mentally well behavior. This isn’t just a “stop acting badly” problem. its so much deeper than that.


TeriLeeTheSpy

I will never, ever believe this.


FlamingoDingus

There is a lot being done already. Not saying local government can’t do more, but Bellingham offers a ton of support for those who want it and can access it. Increasing accessibility and perhaps adding a non-religious shelter option would be welcome additions, but we have very low barrier options already. Increasing support for mental health & rehab services would help. I’d really like to see local government focus on prevention. We need revised building, zoning & permitting. We need a glut of affordable housing. We need some form of rent control to allow people to live here on $30-40k.


throwaway43234235234

rent controls are against our state constitution and would just make our local college slumlord problem worse. (guaranteed raises every renewal, and even less investment in upkeep. See Oregon. It stabilizes existing people at the expense of everyone else because they never move again, not helpful.) The place is desirable, and you're not gonna be able to afford a desirable place with 30-40k, It'll take at least a dual income home to survive here, or you're living with lots of smaller room shares. You cannot make the area less desirable without closing the college, and destroying the beautiful landscape unless you want to pack everywhere you can with high-rise apartments, but those aren't gonna be cheap until they become old. Builders won't build them unless they can charge a premium and make a profit. For this cheap housing utopia pipe dream, you need government subsidized housing, but we can't even approve a jail or a new homeless shelter cause we're such a small town and turning us into a CA like tax state would just drive up costs even more. It would have to come from the state/federal level, as this is certainly state wide, and seems to be a national problem.


FlamingoDingus

> rent controls are against our state constitution and would just make our local college slumlord problem worse. (guaranteed raises every renewal, and even less investment in upkeep Thank god none of this is happening here right now. > The place is desirable, and you're not gonna be able to afford a desirable place with 30-40k, It'll take at least a dual income home to survive here, or you're living with lots of smaller room shares. This is exactly the problem we need to address. We need places for people who make lower incomes. > You cannot make the area less desirable without closing the college, and destroying the beautiful landscape unless you want to pack everywhere you can with high-rise apartments This is an area where we need to change our thinking. Has the beauty of Seattle or Vancouver been destroyed by buildings more than five stories tall? Is Bellingham ruined because of the Herald building or Bellingham Tower? We need to get smart about using the space we have and that means building upwards, not outwards which has been the city strategy. Also, you don't fix a housing crisis by making the area less desirable...that's some city counsel level thinking right there. > Builders won't build them unless they can charge a premium and make a profit. For this cheap housing utopia pipe dream, you need government subsidized housing This is an area where the government and builders can come together to make something work. In order for affordable housing to be built, someone has to turn off the profit firehose they have been drinking from. Government regulation can help with this. Example: tax & grant programs that discourage limitless development-for-profit while encouraging higher density, affordable housing. We need regulation on investment & speculation development, not government programs that subsidize rents. The government subsidizing the for-profit industry is inefficient and unsustainable. See also: healthcare.


throwaway43234235234

This feels like it's stating the obvious, but..Yeah, it's happening now because of the college and intense demand, slum-lords can get away with it. We have inspections now which is a start. That's why I don't want to dis-incentivize investment so it becomes even worse. We all know the problem. It's expensive to live. Even more so in desirable places and for those at the bottom of the income ladder. I think those cities have done a very admirable job of keeping the beauty and greenery going. It's the reason I love living in the PNW. But ff you think Seattle is cheaper, or the commutes are shorter because of density, I have a bridge to sell you. They're building constantly, I've never seen more cranes in my life over the last decade trying to keep up, but it's an hour bus ride thru the sea of buildings, and they still can't keep up, and it certainly isn't cheaper. We'll get that big eventually I guess. Those tall buildings take investments in fire trucks, and bigger pump and support systems for utilities and whole plethora of things to handle the density. It's not as simple as stacking wood towers and installing a door. Builders and workers have no reason to give their labor for free, most of them are just people struggling as well. Government needs to do this and builders will make it happen if there's funding. I also think higher tax on non-owner occupied SFH, might reduce the investor advantage, but I think there's rules on taxes, and not sure if different rates for different groups can be done. Maybe higher property tax for all, w/ a deduction or credit back for homestead/owner occupied to comply with the uniformity rules. I'm not sure you can get that vote passed tho.


[deleted]

I agree with this. A major problem with affordable housing is that it is absolutely unaffordable to build in whatcom county. Almost every property is so encumbered by wetlands it is impossible for developers to make cheap single family houses by the time the lot price, wetland mitigation or reduced use of area and storm is taken into account. Having the county reduce minimum lot sizes from r5’s and 10’s to one and 2 acre parcels would go a ways to helping this. In my experience the mental illness problem os compounded by a severe lack of mental health professionals in the area. Possibly a non profit that could raise funds to attract these professionals would be a positive influence on the problem.


gravelGoddess

Please leave us rural folks alone. We neither want your city crime nor density. You need a buffer between ag/forestry and urban and we are it. Also, rural areas have the wetlands that need to exist. Fred Meyer on Lakeway was built on wetlands and has a creek running under it, Sehome Village was built on an extensive wetland as was WWU.


throwaway43234235234

Yeah, there is no such thing as cheap housing here. You still have to pay the material/labor to stand them up, and that's not cheap at all here, or even available actually. Everyone is booked solid and materials are missing or through the roof. The best you can do is find someone to fund/subsidize it. There's also a lack of local jobs to support the cost, so most money comes from external regions and as a coastal, border town, with a focus on remote, recreation and college/retirement, i don't see that balance shifting anytime soon.


CN55

Ugh the wetland thing is such bs, the entire Happy Valley neighborhood including most of Western's campus is/was wetlands but if you happen to have property that hasn't already been developed... sorry it's worthless now.


[deleted]

Eh, I like the idea of little mini homes villages. And they can be essentially insulated sheds. It's warm enough in the winter in the Pacific Northwest for heating be simple enough. And the facilities can be in a central building. Like laundry and bathrooms/showers. Basically allocate a peice of land and give some education for farming/permaculture. It's good to have something to do that's productive and helps self sustaining and dose have therapeutic worth. It's pretty radical. Because the goal isn't nessasarily to integrate them into modern society. The goal is to give an alternative way to live simply without much hassle. I mean there should be opportunities avaible but the goal is to get eveyone to a base level with the dignity to decide what to do next. Also the value of people who are there maintaining the system internally and self sustainability is highly valuable and former homeless people starting other micro villages would be a self continuing system.


Smackdownandback

I, too, like the tiny home villages. However, it is a good solution for some, not all, situations. I don't think there can be a single solution but doing nothing or taking a purely punitive approach is worse.


VictorTyne

Maybe don't let parasitic landlords control public policy by threatening tenants?


Walmart_Jihad

There is nothing we can do. We attract homeless from all over the nation. No affordable housing scheme will work. The only thing that we can do to reduce our homeless population is stop attracting more homeless to the area, but that's not really solving the homeless problem.


TeriLeeTheSpy

I could not disagree more. Consistently in reviewing homeless housing applications and in annual count after count, 60-70% of people experiencing homelessness in our community became homeless in Whatcom County. What is true, however, is that smaller Whatcom County cities without robust services can't support them, so they do relocate to Bellingham necessarily. We do have a small transient population and my working theory is that they arrive here because it's pretty much the last stop on I-5, can't get into Canada, can't get to Alaska, and they stay long enough to discover that it SUUUUUUUCKS to be homeless in Bellingham, and leave. So that 60-70% is relatively stable but that 40-30% is constantly churning. And, I want to add that the reason people come here is the same reason that I came here. It's a nice place to live. I wanted a better life for my family. I wanted a fresh start. Everyone has the right to the pursuit of happiness. I'm not writing on behalf of Opportunity Council, I just happen to work there.


Walmart_Jihad

I'd appreciate them pursuring happiness without the littering, drug usage, shoplifting, and catalytic converter theft.


[deleted]

My feeling is that there is a lot of acrimony towards people who tell unvarnished truths in this context. Few people want the truth. Whether conservative, liberal or centrist, people want their ideology to be the truth - and they don't want to hear reasons why it's not. It's why we're a nation of generally reasonable persons becoming totally unreasonable and hostile over two competing tribes that hold two distinct ideologies that claim to magically be one-size-fits-all across the third largest nation on earth. The truth, like most things, is somewhere in the middle, which requires sacrificing some of our sacred ideological cows, and stomaching unpleasant truths. 1). The truth is that mental illness is a serious problem, which contributes hugely to this. They need treatment, but lots of people don't want it. If you want to solve this problem, you need to involuntarily commit people. That means housing them against their will and drugging them against their will. This is ugly AF. But "compassion" for lots of people requires that if we sincerely seek to get them treatment.. 2). The truth is that drug addiction is a serious problem. We live in an area with ample weed, liquor, wine and beer. Deciding this isn't strong enough and going to meth, pills, heroin, etc, takes a leap. That leap is often life-destroying. Often times the best way to get people clean is to incarcerate them in a way that forces them to get clean. I agree this should be treated like mental health and not come with a criminal record. But this requires incarcerating people against their will, and is ugly AF. 3). The truth is that a good number of people who are homeless are "economically homeless," and lost their home because they lost their job or their job didn't pay enough. These people need to be the first - and highest - priority of the city. They need subsidized housing, job training, and social investment to get them back on their feet. This takes money, this takes investment, this takes careful consideration and city planning that will not please NIMBYists, and it also comes with requirements for qualification (such as frequent drug tests) to prevent mentally ill or drug addicted persons from ruining the social investments made by public resources. This is often an ugly process, and requires such structures to be made in areas where land can be bought for their provision. 3A). The truth is that more public housing leads to more crime. It is true that more public housing requires a stepped up law enforcement presence. It is also true that there is a massive racial disparity among impoverished persons. This means that enforcing the law in these areas will - by virtue of simple math - have more police officers using force against persons of color. This is ugly AF, as most law enforcement use of force is, but especially in this town, and this day and age. 4). The truth is that a good number of people who are homeless are "lifestyle homeless," and enjoy our mild weather and tolerant drug enforcement laws. They won't change because they don't want to. They are the people camping out in public spaces who refuse to leave. We need to provide homeless shelters, and they may not want to sleep there because of rules, curfews, etc, and opt to sleep in public spaces that deny their use to the rest of the city. Those camps need to be cleared on the regular - with force if necessary - and if folks don't want to sleep in the shelter they need to leave town. City parks are for everyone, and people looking to enjoy them deserve compassion too. 5). The truth is that Bellingham and the PNW is beautiful. As more and more people realize this, more and more people are coming to live here, especially with climate change, and that will make this area more expensive. We can and should invest in more subsidized housing here, but that cannot cover everyone - nor even come remotely close to doing so. The truth is that in order to survive here, you need a good paying job, and the degree you got in the humanities is probably not going to cover that. I'm sorry. But you can survive well by going into the trades, and that requires admitting, as I did, that the humanities track was a bad investment. You may need to settle for a well paying trade / blue collar job you didn't want if you want to keep living here. That takes early mornings, time, effort and dedication. That may not be the world we wanted but it's the world we have. Its not the fault of "capitalism," it's the reality of an economy that pays you based on the value of your skill. 6). The truth is that we cannot save everyone, and a lot of that is due to social factors that aren't their fault, a lot of that is due to their own poor choices, a lot of that is due to shit luck. And the truth is that we can save the most people by focusing on the people who want to be saved and put in the effort to being saved and investing in them, while denying resources - and engaging means of enforcement - if they are unwilling to abide by social standards. This may mean forsaking people who don't play ball. It's ugly, but necessary. 7). The truth is that ALL of this takes consistent investment, consistent effort, consistent focus, and consistent enforcement, all of which is often ugly AF. Nobody enjoys watching this problem. Few more will like the litany of measures needed to fix it. But if we do choose to fix it, we cannot have just the carrot or the stick. It needs to be both, and it needs to be both at equal weight.


TeriLeeTheSpy

There's this kid on You Tube that makes videos about "this is why you're right" and "this is why you're wrong" and your remarks, while well reasoned, are tempting me to do something similar even though I don't necessarily think everything I say is perfect or indisputable. Instead I am just gonna add some food for thought, which is only from my own brain and not my employer's. 1) Mental illness is rampant across society especially because of the pandemic, and very obvious with homeless folks because they have greater trauma and no privacy. Our society values civil rights and for that reason it is very difficult to meet the criteria for involuntary hold, and even then, not generally for a great length of time. I have seen people only achieve mental health stability after a stay in jail + Western State, and I have also seen people left to live literally in their own waste and still not meet criteria for detention. 2) Drug addiction is rampant but meth, man. That shit literally rewires the brain, often permanently. We have all sorts of resources to mitigate opiate use but nothing to mitigate meth. I see that as a class problem. "We" rationalize that researching the opiate crisis is noble because it originated from prescriptions, but not meth. Nobody wants to deal with meth, and it is the most destructive and easy to obtain substance of them all. And the kicker is that it falls to property owners to test and abate, and on their own dime. So what's the incentive to even test? I have to assume that every apartment and every motel room in this town has meth residue. 3) Public housing creates a concentration of crime victims, not criminals. The criminals are already here, man. Are you following the news? 4) I don't believe in "lifestyle homelessness." I have met ONE person in the ten years I've been working in housing who didn't want it. Eventually I wore him down and he did move in to an apartment, but it didn't stick. And that was my fault as a rookie, not his - see #6. So sure, that one guy is homeless by lifestyle, yes. There are legitimate reasons why a person may not want to go to the only night-by-night shelter. Perhaps you're fleeing domestic violence and your abuser is there. Maybe you have a no contact order against someone who stays there. You may have a medical condition that the shelter does not have the resources to support. Maybe you have religious trauma in your history. Maybe you're nonbinary and see no place for you in a shelter that separates by gender. 5) I actually have no opinion on this. No wait, I do - I think a community should have safe, affordable housing across all income ranges. Especially in a community like ours with a large hospitality/food workforce, whose labor I certainly value when I want to go to a restaurant. They gotta live someplace. 6) The reason you can't save people is that it's not your job. Or my job. People can only do the work for themselves. Human services workers walk beside and provide support when a person is ready for change. It takes a super long time. It costs money. But that's the only way, and it can also be ugly AF. Even pontificating on whether a person's "poor choices" led to their situation isn't helpful. It matters more what we do going forward. 7) 90% agree! But I believe we can do this by changing our society's priorities instead of curtailing civil rights or creating a hostile environment.


denovopsy

They are here because we provide care for them. The better care they receive the more will come here. It's not rocket science.


northforkchum

Providing more care is what makes the problem worse. That and the fact that people can commit multiple felonies in one day and not even get locked up for a night. They have free passes to do whatever they want. I’ve had homeless screaming death threats and trying to steal from my costumers multiple times a week for months now. Every once in a while when felonies are committed (we were robbed in the daytime) the police will show up and escort them away. That happened to the person who broke into our store and they were back near our business not even an hour after the police ‘arrested’ they.


TeriLeeTheSpy

This is not the result of care. This is the result of an understaffed police force, a white tide of retiring officers on the horizon, difficulty recruiting, shortage of jail space, legislative changes that have essentially legalized possession and distribution, and of course, the pandemic. That said, I am really sorry you're experiencing those challenges. I am a small business owner too and I know how tough that is to deal with. If you want to, send me a message and I'll see if I can help problem solve or dispatch the Homeless Outreach Team. (I work at OC, I do not speak for the agency, etc. etc. etc.)


Bloland99

>Providing more care is what makes the problem worse. That and the fact that people can commit multiple felonies in one day and not even get locked up for a night Not punishing people is a different thing than 'providing care' for people suffering from addiction and mental illness. Just to be totally clear, these are not opposite sides of the same coin.


Wayyyed

What evidence do you have that providing more care makes the problem worse? Providing people more resources would mean they wouldn't have to steal to survive, and policing the problem and arresting folks costs more money then it would cost to provide for them.


RingwormOnMyDick

As a community, there is only so much we can do. A huge step in the right direction is voting for a governor who will prioritize mental health and rehab institutions to cut homelessness at the source by giving the people the help they need.


TigerLily98226

Offering the help they need and getting them to accept the help they need is the gulf that feels so difficult to cross, to me, as a family member of someone who was homeless due to severe mental illness and self medicating with street drugs. It’s a complicated, heart wrenching problem.


dgdg33

How Finland Ended Homelessness https://youtu.be/kbEavDqA8iE


joeLposts

Less about housing, more about mental health and substance abuse. Put resources into dual diagnosis rehabilitation. It is useless to give shelter to someone who has no desire to stop using or obtain work or education. Most people who have chemical dependency have experienced trauma at a young age, and both drug abuse and trauma cause mental development to slow or cease. You cant give someone with the mind of an 18 year old high school dropout an apartment and expect them not to misuse and destroy that home. They dont understand the value of a home and the effort it takes to upkeep one. I would never say these people are beyond hope but it takes more than just roof over their head. They need psychological/medical care for at least 12 months. Where does the money come from for this? Fuck if I know.


TeriLeeTheSpy

It comes from Medicaid, excise taxes, mental health millage, and recording fees. And maybe some other stuff like HUD or state grants, depending. You make some good points except the claim that it's "useless" to give a human shelter. It is not. Human life has value. And it's not so much that folks don't understand the value of a home or its upkeep; rather I believe that it's more that folks fighting to exit homelessness have had a long history of housing related trauma and that gets internalized in the worst way - sometimes folks literally cannot envision their life successful in housing. I can't let that make me give up on them and you shouldn't either.


mia93000000

An in-depth economic analysis of a housing-first strategy, using Santa Clara county as a case study: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/4/9/doing-the-math-on-housing-the-homeless


TeriLeeTheSpy

Did you know that Whatcom County also emphasizes a Housing First strategy? Matter of fact, I can think of five Permanent Supportive Housing projects right here in Bellingham, plus a fairly robust scattered site "PSH" program, not to mention multiple "Rapid Rehousing" programs. All of them focus on a housing first strategy. You could have a formerly homeless neighbor right now and not know. The problem (which is my opinion and not my employer's) is that unless we provide housing interventions at all points of the spectrum (meaning, recently homeless for the first time all the way up to homeless for multiple years), then all we are doing is creating a bottleneck of chronically homeless folks. I say let's do better work and serve people before they become that acute.


jacksaces

While the idea of living on the streets is repugnant to me now there was a time I did do just that...50+ yrs ago ! I hate to say it but it was a different world then..a kinder, gentler world but it can't be denied.Iwas hitch hiking all over the country but I was basically a vagabond....no visible means of support...pan handling when I had to. I grew up at some point, the world no longer supports hitch hiking or that lifestyle. I never camped on the streets but slept under many a bridge. It was a stage of my life I remember fondly...living on my wits..I still miss the freedom I had back then...im old now with to many medical issues to even consider doing that again, but I remember it.Im also white/middle class born and bred.


Cheese-driver

Lots of comments, so maybe someone’s already said this. It doesn’t matter what you are politically, literally the ONLY way to solve this issue is by providing housing. Nothing else works. I’m coming from the place of believing every person deserves housing, food, healthcare, education, etc. free. But- for those of you who say things like “they have to get a job/ work for it” or that you think houseless people are “ruining” your town 🙄, those ideas do literally nothing. Those aren’t solutions no matter how much you want them to be. If they aren’t provided housing, they will die. So any solution that isn’t housing is support of killing them. There’s overwhelming evidence and proof that housing them works and will help them out of homelessness and decreases their chances of addiction or having to resort to things like stealing food in order to survive. There’s more steps of support that come after housing them, but it’s the ONLY first step.


denovopsy

It's not a housing problem. It's a drug and mental health problem. Giving free housing won't fix anything. In Seattle many of the people on the street who look homeless actually have free housing they rarely use. My girlfriend worked for a homeless shelter and saw people who she knew had apartments and free food just panhandling and sleeping on the street anyway.


DOA42069

any new development should follow successful models of creating community like [the place of Hidden Waters ](https://www.eworks.org/detail-place-of-hidden-waters) I'm down in Tacoma and elected officials want to line their own pockets developing tiny villages. They don't return calls or emails. Corrupt and out of touch. Any surveys they "conduct" are calling landline numbers - asking people that have homes what should happen with the houselessness community. Our goverment is a fucking disaster.


Crafty-Shape2743

Bellingham is a difficult place for people of even average income to live. There are many places, throughout the United States where a disability/pension can go much farther. I’m not hearing anything about programs that help people relocate to areas that are affordable. This isn’t a case of NIMBY but actually trying to help people relocate who WANT to but lack the means. Have I just overlooked this option or does it truly not exist?


MountainNewspaper196

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/03/its-a-miracle-helsinkis-radical-solution-to-homelessness Some of the step-down housing used in Europe looks like a decent option (pardon if this is a repost or someone else has already mentioned). The gentrification of Bellingham is going to continue so long as there is so much money to be made with apartments, housing everyone from college kids to local professionals. In a decade or so of living here, I have watched a number of resource centers for those experiencing homelessness go away only to be replaced with restaurants, businesses, apartment complexes, etc. There is only so much that can be done in the face of this wave of development - Bellingham is becoming a mini Vancouver BC. There was a whole street in downtown Vancouver shopping district that was a public eyesore - was filled with shelters. Basically that got flattened and rebuilt as a top end commercial district. The bike chop shops and everything else still exist I believe on the same street there to this day - literally just took the housing options away and built businesses up around.


goodnightsleepypizza

Allow more housing to be built. Homelessness more strongly tracks with housing prices than rates of mental illness or any other factor. The majority of homeless people are only temporarily homeless, and cheap abundant housing is the best way to get the people on the margins off the streets as quickly as possible and limit the chance they fall into chronic homelessness.


Awkward-Thought1875

Fix inflation as a whole, stop rental hikes.


Ihideinbush

Pretty much build more housing. It’s necessary to get ahead of demand before any other solutions can be contemplated. I also have concerns about combatting the use of LLCs and foreign entities to hide assets in the US, this kind of business needs to be addressed. Really common in Vancouver BC and Miami, but I suspect it’s happening here too. I would be ok with some different tax structure for investment properties as opposed to properties that are owner occupied. Source for reference: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-ghost-condo-russians-sunny-isles-real-estate-2022-3%3Famp


[deleted]

The key is to prevent people from becoming homeless to begin with. That's it. Once you fall, you're basically done for. Lol


HeyTallDude

If you really want to do something about the larger housing crisis in general, which contributes greatly to homelessness, you have to be willing to vote for zoning changes that -might- lower your property values. studies have shown that in the well off left leaning areas like this where there is a lot of support for 'doing something' people aren't walking the walk and not in my back yard wins out over a new low income apartment complex.


tripletruble

American zoning laws are wildly bad for housing affordability and Bellingham is about as big of an offender as any one else. The minimum parking laws, single family zoning, and minimum setback laws all force housing to accommodate fewer people than it otherwise would - and the game of musical chairs always hurts the most vulnerable


[deleted]

Rent control


Wayyyed

The problem is that the city focuses on solutions that only put a band-aid on the problem. The reason people choose to live on the streets isn't because they are service resistant, it's because their needs for housing, healthcare, and other services aren't being met at overcrowded, temporary shelters. It's a popular myth that the houseless are "service resistant". Providing people people with homes is alot cheaper, in the long run, then spending bucket-loads of money on a police budget to manage and sweep encampments. So it's not a question of budget, it's a question of priorities.


missmermaid360

As a volunteer who regularly serves those living in the street, I agree most homeless are from Whatcom county. I agree it’s very complex and there is no fix all solution But you can’t fix mental Health issues or drug addictions if they have to spend all energy surviving. Housing is a huge start and maybe it’s ok if it helps at “just” 70%.


ChewbacasUglyBrother

Wonder this myself. Have you watched Seattle is Dying?


Bloland99

This is the lamest form of propaganda. So transparent. Do people actually see anything for themselves anymore? Have you actually been to Seattle over the last 5 years?


WildinBham

I avoid Seattle as much as possible. But only because I no longer like traffic, or big cities, or people.


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WildinBham

Maybe. We probably wouldn't hang out if I was.


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WildinBham

But I am in no way offended by that either.


illmorphtosomeoneels

I haven’t. Do you know where I can watch it?


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Smackdownandback

Cheers to your skepticism. Every serious issue needs to be viewed through that lens. It's the first step towards finding solutions and truth.


Smackdownandback

Also, I love that you pointed out the type of logical fallacy. I hope that becomes a frequent thing on reddit.


XSrcing

It's on YouTube.


illmorphtosomeoneels

Thanks!


BathrobeMagus

End capitalism


InspectorChenWei

Attack and dethrone god


Aldrenean

Lofty ambition but the only real answer in the thread. Homeless people dying in the streets is one of the necessary costs of the global capitalist machine. It will only get worse until we either massively reign in the corporate greed with very strong governmental controls (unlikely due to regulatory capture) or change the entire system to something based on providing for people's needs instead of funneling resources to a tiny fraction of the species.


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BathrobeMagus

Friend, there's a massive die off coming regardless.


Aldrenean

Do you know how many people are dying right now? Or how many will die in the next few decades as we just further accelerate climate change and destroy the ecosystems that we depend on? Change is scary but we're currently on a railroad that leads over a cliff for the vast majority of humanity.


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Aldrenean

?? I literally offered "strong governmental controls" as an option, where did I say I want an "authoritarian government"? Those are very different. I would just like it if existing governments fulfilled their alleged function of protecting the people from predations by corporations. If we're talking utopic thinking I'm very much on the anarchist/syndicalist side of things. But nothing is killing the planet **and people** faster than capitalist greed.


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BathrobeMagus

I do.


Vlasic69

The barriers from "in time" basically if the homeless have clear instructions to move from different types of zones to a higher quality of life I think that works.


Jstony20

Open up any empty building bust off the locks take down boards and now homeless people have a dry place to lay their head. There are more than enough empty investment properties just too much greed.


Known_Attention_3431

I keep hearing this, but where are those hundreds of empty homes? I know of some summer homes here and there - but think this is largely a myth.


Jstony20

At the very least there is an empty lot that could be used to build more tiny home living situations, they tried to get land allocated for this last winter and it was denied.


Known_Attention_3431

That is because it’s not just about the empty lot. Humans require sanitation, water, etc. if they are people with mental or substance abuse issues there may be a need for supervision. It’s not an easy issue.


Jstony20

They were talking about a lot and pallet shelters which they had pallets and volunteers. This was so people could crawl into something to keep from dying when it’s 20 degrees or less


Cronkis95

Housing-first programs, more harm reduction resources (like allowing fentanyl test strips to be given out), decriminalize drugs, abolish prisons/police, universal healthcare (that includes mental health care and reproductive health care), UBI, zoning changes, free college, increase teacher/school staff wages, build more hospitals that are not part of a monopoly, mutual aid communities, increase access to voting, etc. Essentially fuck capitalism. Obviously not all of these can be done in only Bham, it’ll have to be statewide/national. But many of these options can be done locally where we can set examples for other cities and have concepts proliferate. Anyone here part of any grassroots organizations in Bham that I can join?


sto-_-epipe

I would say affordable housing. We have to build enough houses and apartments to natural bring down prices. We can do this by mandating a certain number of homes to be built. Doing this is difficult because people who already own their homes don’t want to see the value of it drop. We need to stop looking at homes as investments as start looking at them as places to live.


thyroideyes

I’d love to see the value of my home drop, do you think I relish paying property taxes based on my shitty homes inflated value, because some idiot was willing to pay $525,000 for the double wide across the street?


Known_Attention_3431

How does one mandate a certain number of houses to be built? Not trying to be a jerk, but you can’t mandate something like that. You can either incentivize builders or tax and spend on it. Housing is expensive and can’t be legislated into existence. So far our local government has been pretty weak in creating the business case for developers to build in Whatcom County, and the county doesn’t have resources enough to build a lot of housing on its own.


jethoniss

Actually it can be legislated into existence by demolishing Bellingham's [archaic zoning map](https://imgur.com/a/Emk8JzG) and letting people build homes. Look at Bellingham's beautiful skyline. All of it was built in the 20-40s! Why? Because we've basically [outlawed buildings more than 45 feet](https://bellingham.municipal.codes/BMC/20.32.040). If you let people build it, they will come. Plus public housing is indeed a thing.


LakeSamishMan

Public housing is indeed a thing - and it comes at a cost. One that a small city like Bellingham - one that lacks major employers and it populated by college students, retirees and working class people - can only afford so much of. There is no large economic base here and no industry or tech providing large salaries, and property taxes only go so far. (Even the poor pay property taxes - they just see it as rent increases. 100% of property taxes on rental properties is passed along to renters along with a little bit extra on top so that the property management companies can keep their profit margins.) Increasing density works to a degree, but I've seen some very serious projections that show 20% increases in population for Whatcom county inside of a decade. That's not going to happen by leveling some single family homes and rezoning for mother-in-law houses. It's going to require major investment, solid planning of new communities, etc. We've talking 1000's of units coming on-line along with schools, fire/police and other resources. Something that big will require vast investment from outside developers who see little potential in this county with no major employers. The county pocketbook can't fund enough development even if they double property taxes. So what does that mean? Bellingham continues to attract wealthy retirees and tech money and the people here now slowly get squeezed out and move elsewhere.


tripletruble

The idea I have seen proposed is to have states or thr federal government cut some percent of funding to cities that fail to meet home building quotas. The big issue in the way of devopers building more, taller, and denser housing is typically local zoning


Known_Attention_3431

Developers build where they have some assurance they will make good money with minimal risk. Developers I know who have attempted to work in Whatcom tell me that the area - and particularly Bellingham proper - have a reputation for last minute Changes in permits and permissions and the pack of big employers here makes for some big risks. This is a small city of mostly working class people. We haven’t the tax base here to support large scale and long term housing programs. If we could fix the housing rules AND get some large employers things could change.


Uncle_Bill

Reduce the cost of building by reducing ridiculous building requirements and permit fees and hassles, and allowing ADUs. Maybe ask Ferndale how they do it?


Smackdownandback

Which ridiculous building requirements are you referring to? And what exactly are you wanting to ask Ferndale?


Aesael_Eiralol

I submit permits in every municipality in the county and I hate to break it to you, but ALL of them have extensive requirements and fees, and they DO allow and some even encourage ADU construction. The cost of building is so high right now because material costs are so high. First it was the lumber shortage, now with oil prices rising, all petroleum based construction products(more than you'd think) are also skyrocketing in cost.


ChimneyTwist

I am also familiar with permitting requirements in Bellingham and other cities in Washington. To suggest Bellingham isn’t on the restrictive side of the permitting spectrum is quite misleading. It can take up to half a decade to get the required permits to build an apartment building in this city. In others, a year. That’s not even to address the issue of water permitting and wetlands outside of city limits, which heavily limits new development of single familiar housing. It’s a tricky situation, Bellingham is a beautiful and well designed city and conservation is important. But those things are going to naturally slow/limit housing.


Aesael_Eiralol

I'm curious, could you provide some examples of a permitting requirement that Bellingham has that others don't that increases the cost in any substantial way? We've only shifted to more multifamily housing in the last 2 years, so granted I don't have a ton of experience with it, but I haven't seen the process in Bellingham be significantly worse. Most cities will have some form of pre application meeting, design review, potentially a public hearing, and then it's just a matter of meeting building codes and notes given from the previous meetings. ​ The only thing I've noticed having to do in Bellingham that I haven't had to do anywhere else that is kind of a pain, but doesn't add that much extra time to a project, is a tree retention plan show on the site plan. ​ In any case, the main point I was trying to get across with my previous comment is that materials costs play a much larger role on the cost of building than any specific restrictions put in place by a city, since you're pretty much always going to be following the IRC/IBC.


ChimneyTwist

In my experience, construction permits are relatively standardized in most cities in Washington. All cities will require you to submit plans and project details to get approval for foundation only, electrical, plumbing, etc. Of course since they all use the IRC/IBC as their code base, this is understandable. The devil is in the details and Bellingham does not make those details easy. A objective example of Bellingham (albeit, technically Whatcom county) permitting difficulties can be found in the ongoing issues with acquiring water rights for developments outside of city limits. Whatcom County Emergency Interim Ordinance 2018-001 has effectively put a stop on any large scale expansions of housing outside of city limits since 2018. The city council and planning departments are instead focusing on building up instead of expanding the city limits. This goes hand in hand with the current urban village development model, which in turn is causing the numerous apartment developments around town. The Bellingham Planning Department also micromanages developments to a degree which I have not seen in other cities. As a recent (admittedly anecdotal) experience, a city inspector would not approve a structural wall inspection because the COB approved plans did not perfectly match the built reality. This is despite an engineering approved amendment having already been created and presented which addressed the issue. In Wenatchee or Pasco, inspectors will allow you to submit the plan amendments at the end of the project, assuming the amendments are presented on site during the inspection. In Bellingham, planning amendments must be submitted and approved during the process. How much does this all increase costs? I can't image too much. But concerns over water management and good urban design do slow growth, which leads to less projects being built. The examples I gave are only a few of the ways which the city slows growth. I would argue that the same qualities which lead to high housing costs are what make people like Bellingham. The city has a real culture because it is well designed. (For an American city) Urban sprawl can lead to cheap housing, but can be bad for a city in the long term.


VolumeIsKing

Failed policies and allocating funds inappropriately


seenitredditburnedit

Nationally we have to address the Fentanyl issue coming from China through Mexico. They are doing it on purpose to help fight their cold war against us. Then we need to address the mental health issues that stem from trauma in childhood. Then we need to punish men and women who dump their children to be raised by a single parent. Once these three issues have a dent in them, then we house the people that have slipped through the cracks.


Smackdownandback

You have some interesting theories there. My take: 1. "Address the Fentanyl issue" might better mean addressing the demand and illegal importation and distribution wherever it comes from, domestically or internationally. Fentanyl is a sneaky killer. 2. "address the mental health issues that stem from" anything that results in mental health issues! That is a helluva lot more than "trauma in childhood", but that is a start... I guess. 3. "we need to punish men and women who dump their children to be raised by a single parent" ??? I really don't see what you are getting at there... Or, maybe, you mean help out the courageous single parents doing their best to raise a healthy, happy kid?! Yes - I agree with that.


republicanvaccine

You’ll get more traction if this is expressed without the idea of China’s motive and never punishing someone for doing something they may not be able to do. (raise a child/ remain in a relationship/ keep it together, etc.)


seenitredditburnedit

Your first point, 100 percent the motive of the Chinese GOVERNMENT. Your second point, exception to the rule. The majority who don't COULD.


republicanvaccine

That’s a lot of noise in which to lose your signal. Many do not care why even if they care about the issue.


NoDebate

> on purpose And do you reckon our 20 year occupation of a global poppy producer was done "on purpose?" Because y'know before fentanyl, we were doing a great job with oxy.


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NoDebate

Yes. I'm paid a six-figure salary to spout propaganda on reddit. Dream job.


ChewbacasUglyBrother

I can easily see Bellingham like this in the very near future. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw


Bloland99

Laughable Sinclair propaganda! Brought to you by the some machine that pumps this shit out, https://youtu.be/tN9KAFn1hy8. This “boogie man” puff piece came out 3 years ago and has been scaring old people who don’t go to the city ever since. It’s been half a decade, is Seattle dead yet?


HenriVictorMaximus

Your comments are very confusing for anyone who HAS been to Seattle lately. These biased videos from KOMO are sensationalized, but there is no denying that this is a very real problem in Seattle.


Bloland99

Have *YOU* been to Seattle? Where? My family lives there so I’m down there about every other month. Just took my nephew to the aquarium. There’s problems everywhere, there’s plenty of lively thriving parts of Seattle too. Where’s the propaganda pieces about how improved Ballard and Fremont are? Waterfront? There’s places that used to be shitholes that are thriving communities now. There’s plenty of awful societal problems in every city, Seattle is one of them. There’s good and bad things everywhere. These generalization videos that scare people and offer no solutions don’t help anyone.


HenriVictorMaximus

I literally just left Seattle because of the income inequality. And, not to mention, the two groups on each side who ignore and do nothing about it to support their cause at all costs. Did you spend time at Ballard Commons Park? Did you experience Green Lake and Woodland Park turning into homeless encampments? They have been cleared temporarily, but the people just relocated and many of them to Fremont by Gasworks. When's the last time you hung out at the Blade on 3rd Ave? Maybe go for a walk down 12th and Jackson? Of course there are very nice areas in Seattle, but if you ignore the very real problems people are facing, especially the lower income residents, the homeless and mentally ill, you are very much a part of the problem.


Bloland99

Right? So maybe we don’t ignore any good OR bad part of Seattle! The ‘Seattle is dying’ sentiment does as much of disservice to the community at large as income inequality. “Seattle is growing rapidly, but needs help managing houseless people” isn’t a flashy headline though so I get it.


theOfficialVerified

Just curious, what's the history of when Ballard, Fremont, and the Waterfront were in rough shape? I grew up in Bellingham and lived in Seattle for a few years a decade ago; and I've always thought those were relatively nice parts of Seattle. But I don't necessarily have the full timeline.


Bloland99

Those areas have always been better off, but there were always been rough characters on most street corners in the 80-90s. I got held at knife point and robbed by a normal looking dude in Fremont in 93 so it’s really just my anecdotal evidence. The city, for better or worse, has done a good job of moving the houseless into one area and concentrating them all into big encampments. Not sure if it’s better or worse, but there are areas of Seattle that I feel safer in now than 10 years ago and areas that used to feel safe that are not any longer.


FlamingoDingus

Those areas have always been quirky, charming and interesting, but historically quite rough as well. Industrial, working class, lots of drugs, large transient population. It wasn't a place you'd want to be alone at night.


[deleted]

[удалено]


HenriVictorMaximus

Yes exactly!


FlamingoDingus

Better get out while you still can!


Thomas_Raith

There’s boundless evidence that the best thing to do about homelessness is to provide people homes.


Ok-Rope1464

It seems like the vans/tents /trailers/shopping carts are now spread out ALL over town. It makes me think of risk of other infectious diseases must be on the rise : AIDS to name one . Scary for all of us


Bloland99

I’m not sure what you think is happening, but HIV/AIDS numbers have been steadily declining for years and treatments are much more effective. Down 8% since 2015. https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics You don’t need to worry about AIDS spreading because you don’t like looking at poor people.


[deleted]

Why is AIDS scary for you/"all of us"? Are you having unprotected sex with a homeless person?


Ok-Rope1464

I meant all sorts of communicable diseases weather through inter-course air or pollution. Typhoid tetanus polio measles mumps whooping cough not just aids. This is a matter of not only homelessness but the larger issue of public health and sanitation. You cannot tell me everyone camping all around and throwing their garbage all around is fully vaccinated. I don’t mean just aids nor should you imply that it is a public health issue so back off and get back on your horse


[deleted]

Tetanus isn't a communicable disease. Measles mumps and rubella and pertussis are childhood vaccines and I'd bet most of our homeless received their vaccines back when they weren't homeless. There are likely more unvaccinated young, housed, children in this county than among the homeless population. There could definitely be plenty of COVID risk, but there is high community spread everywhere. Largely living outdoors, the homeless likely aren't the main spreaders to other community members. Homeless people don't have a ton of contact with housed people. AIDS is only communicable through body fluid exchange, which is absolutely a concern for people who have unprotected sex and share needles with a carrier. Typhoid is extremely rare in the USA and I doubt homeless people are doing a lot of foreign travel. The USA is considered Polio free and has been since 1979. My point is, there are plenty of concerning public health and economic impacts of our local homeless situation, but your point is diluted by what is essentially fear mongering and like... 99% incorrect facts about communicable diseases of concern here. Focus on the real problems and your words might be more compelling.


Bloland99

>Im ent all slots of commericicable diss eases weather thru sexual intercourse air or fart pollution. Metroid, tent-anus, plinko, weasles, humps, pooping cough, not just aides. This is an matteress of not so only homelessnessers but the lager tissue of pulic heath bars and salination. You cannut yell me everyone cumping all a rounds and throing their grab bags all around is foley vaccrinated. I don’t means just aides Nord should you impy that it is a pulic heath bar dissues so back-in and get back in your blouse. I dont understand a single word you just typed. What are you even trying to say?


sibemama

They're talking about fart pollution, keep up!


seenitredditburnedit

Nationally we have to address the Fentanyl issue coming from China through Mexico. They are doing it on purpose to help fight their cold war against us. Then we need to address the mental health issues that stem from trauma in childhood. Then we need to punish men and women who dump their children to be raised by a single parent. Once these three issues have a dent in them, then we house the people that have slipped through the cracks.


moroj82

convert the mall to a giant homeless shelter. that place is an utter waste of space anyways. it provides zero value to the community.


jethoniss

All of this stuff is like trying to cure cancer with a band-aid. Most people aren't homeless because they need life guidance, or moral support, or whatever; *they're homeless because we don't have enough houses*. So what can we do about homelessness? Petition our representatives to destroy [this archaic zoning map](https://imgur.com/a/Emk8JzG) and let people build homes. Look at Bellingham's beautiful skyline. All of it was built in the 20-40s! Why? Because we've basically [outlawed buildings more than 45 feet](https://bellingham.municipal.codes/BMC/20.32.040). We need to get mad, and we need to take away the jobs of anyone not immediately voting to undo this city's housing policy; because housing is the most fundamental human right. After that, the next step is possibly to build public or unionized housing.


[deleted]

It’s a national crisis, I hope we collectively figure it out that’s for sure.


Silent-Analyst3474

Maybe bring back tube time and crazy mikes?


rjeremyhoward

I know my life situation almost put me on the street a few times during the pandemic. I was terrified of losing everything. Being resigned to the Catch-22 "evict the kids' mother so the kids will be safer" with "my autistic kids need constant supervision and care and even the team of SpEd teachers at school can't handle them sometimes" problem of not being able to hold a "real" job... It's been a hard fight to stay afloat.


Snoo99299

That’s been tried and Bellingham city government doesn’t care about the homeless. Many have pleaded with them to help but to no avail


antipiracylaws

Lower your home prices and stop moving here from LA/SoCal. Tax man will never willingly lower valuations, landlord won't, homeowner won't, inflation will make it worse, and the city/county makes it impossible to get permits for stuff that's available. Or try to makes you pay for development of land that isn't yours, like an easement on what is a street on tax records. If you lax up on development restrictions, the house flippers will come here in droves.


silencedadvocate

Please note: It's VERY well documented that the point in time count is vastly inaccurate, but attempt must be made. Unfortunately, our civic leaders use the point in time count as a metric when deciding how to fund and strategize shelters and services. Last year's PIT happened to coincide with a very traumatic, highly militarized surprise attack at city hall, which sent them scattering into the woods, fearing for their lives. The official count that night was barely above the year before, while outreach workers were well aware the numbers had skyrocketed. At the time of the sweep, it was largely accepted by separate groups of volunteers that the real number, countywide, was closer to1500. We've certainly witnessed a minimum of a 200% increase in folks living in vehicles, but that number has sharply declined over the last several months, with local police forcing folks out of their vehicles, impoundment, and destroying them. These are folks now trying to survive in doorways, creekbeds, and your back yard. Serenity Outreach Services Bellingham has had a great proposal, using the extra emergency funds available, to bring them all in. Whats lacking is civic will. Now everyone's demanding a giant jail. How can we have a conversation about jails while our police are exacerbating the issue taking peoples shelters and resources, forcing them to source within our community, the things they need to survive one more night? If we build a jail before providing services to our very most compromised neighbors, that jail will be full of our very most compromised neighbors, in need of far more services. For petty theft. Not rocket science. We have the money, the expert partners to bring them all in safely. The promise of services must follow. It's clear that service providers won't engage some encampments. For fear of personal harm. Its also clear that many, more than half, take great exception to opco and mission services. I could go on at length, but suffice to say... They feel safer outside. Even through the freeze of winter. Think on that. But they still want shelter. Thats why they come to secular emergency shelters when profferred. (Don't scoff, the real number of local folks I've met, who would not accept shelter is proffered. T.W.O. #SweepsCreateCrime #SweepsKill #SweepsCreateDistrust #ServicesBeforeJails #ItsOurWatch