Artist statement:

It doesn’t make sense to see a person sleeping in the doorway of an empty building.

Bellingham is no stranger to empty and unused properties. Downtown is peppered with commercial properties available for rent but which remain closed – boarded, locked, or surrounded by barbed wire – sometimes for years on end. Often, these unused properties are within blocks of homeless encampments and sleeping bags can be seen in the doorways or on the sidewalks outside.

There is some incentive for property owners in Bellingham to keep spaces unrented, as landlords can benefit from holding out for tenants who will pay higher prices (1). Still, the question remains – is this use of property the greatest benefit for our community?

Is it true that the only solutions for homelessness are expensive or impossible?

1,000+ people in Whatcom County are currently experiencing homelessness (2). Current solutions in Bellingham include several tiny home villages such as Unity Village (3) and the Greenfield Tiny House Village Project (4). Success rates for these villages appear to be high, however their capacities are generally small – between 20-35 tiny homes per site (3,4).

Other, more controversial, developments include the $24 million Lighthouse Mission being built on F Street and W. Holly Avenue (5). This new Mission will host 300 beds, 100 more beds than the current Basecamp location, with the capacity to increase to 400 in extreme weather (5). While the Mission is a great support for many, it cannot serve everyone and more options are needed. There is also a controversial new county jail, costing $137 million, in the process of being built in Ferndale (6).

Is this the best we can do? 

We need to reclaim public spaces. We need more commons.

Privatization of downtown is resulting in the isolation of community members who have limited means. Even “available” residential and commercial properties are priced out of reach for many small businesses and families. Is it possible to redesign our downtown to serve those who need public spaces the most?

Hostile architecture is hostile to all of us. 

How can we promote spaces that foster community connection and care? Can we repurpose our current infrastructure to serve our entire community of human beings, instead of the property-owning few?

How do we develop hospitable architecture?

What would our downtown landscape look like if it were designed to include our entire community, and to support and uplift our most vulnerable community members?

Use the worksheets provided to dream a new downtown landscape. Imagine how these unused spaces could be repurposed to serve the unhoused community. Place worksheets in the desk drawer when completed. At the conclusion of this exhibit all submitted worksheets will be mailed to the property owners.

References:

1.       Erica Moszkowski, May 25, 2023, Why do urban storefronts stay empty for so long? , Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/why-do-urban-storefronts-stay-empty-so-long

2.       Spencer Pauley, Aug 15, 2023, Whatcom County’s 2023 homeless count highest in county history with over 1000, The Center Square, https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_b5d55802-3b9e-11ee-8309-df34f3a1d97a.html

3.       Homes Now! About Us Page, HomesNOW! Not Later Website, https://homesnow.org/about/

4.       City of Bellingham, Gardenview Tiny House Village Project, Project Description, City of Bellingham Website, https://cob.org/project/tiny-house-village-project

5.       Lighthouse Mission Ministries, May 26, 2022, UPDATE: Lighthouse Mission’s campus remodel, https://www.thelighthousemission.org/news/update-lighthouse-missions-campus-remodel/

6.       Ian Haupt, June 21, 2023, Whatcom County Council selects site for jail, The Northern Light, https://www.thenorthernlight.com/stories/whatcom-county-council-selects-site-for-jail,26249