Inside Look is a Bellingham Herald series where we take readers behind the scenes at restaurants, new businesses, local landmarks and news stories.
At a time when homelessness lingers at an all-time high across Whatcom County, Lighthouse Mission Ministries is starting its second century in Bellingham with a new shelter that opens next month.
It took a little less than two years to demolish the former shelter at the corner of West Holly and F streets in Bellingham’s Old Town district and build the 75,000-square-foot facility with space for about 300 people.
That includes room for 100 people in separate “micro-shelters” designed for families and those who are employed, along with 200 “low-barrier” beds for those coming off the street. The new five-story building will be replacing the downtown Base Camp, which has sheltered about 200 overnight guests in an converted shopping center since it opened in summer 2020.
“We’re happy to be back,” Lighthouse Mission’s president and CEO Hans Erchinger-Davis told The Bellingham Herald…