Church welcomes more marriages

Washington may soon become the most recent state to approve same-sex marriage as the Senate passed a measure supporting it last week and the House is soon expected to do the same.

The First Congregational Church of Bellingham, a local congregation of the United Church of Christ, is located in the Lettered Streets Neighborhood at 2401 Cornwall Ave. and is one of the

Pastor Kent French says that many in his congregation come to the United Church of Christ specifically because of its progressive views on gay rights and social justice.

“There has been a renewed energy in our denomination because so many people who claim to speak for Christians have come out against gay rights,” French said.  “We want to speak out for those who believe God loves and accepts everyone.”

French will be travelling to Mexico next week to perform a marriage ceremony for a member of his congregation who happens to be in a same-sex relationship, but when that couple returns to Washington they would have to wait until June at the earliest for their marriage to be recognized by the state.

French said that he has not yet been asked to perform any marriage ceremonies in Bellingham but believes the future might hold some.

He also said that on a national level the leaders of the United Church of Christ have publicly applauded the reversal of California’s controversial Proposition 8 a federal appeals court struck down Tuesday.

The “Prop. 8” ban on same-sex marriage was ruled unconstitutional by the court and could mean the case “Proposition 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California,” the court said.

As gay rights activists and allies celebrate these two recent victories, opponents promise to fight both measures. 

If they are unable to gather enough signatures to mount a counter referendum on the November ballot, same-sex couples could be marrying as early as this June.

If challengers to the bill fail to get the required signatures Washington would join New York, Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia in legalizing same-sex marriage.

Here in Washington Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, spoke out on the Senate floor against the same-sex marriage bill.

“I believe altering the definition of marriage will lead to the silencing of those who believe in traditional marriage,” Swecker said.  “It’s ironic how a bill which purports to be about ending discrimination leaves the door so far open to discrimination going the other direction. I am extremely concerned that without additional protections, this legislation will create a hostile environment for those who believe in traditional marriage.”

The referendum would put the law on hold until the voters make their decision in November and the General Election results are certified on Dec. 6.

Whatcom County Auditor Debbie Adelstein, says that there is no wait listing going on for same-sex marriages yet but her office would handle the future marriage certificates.

“We are waiting for the passage of the bill, or not, and the state to give us direction as to what forms and what things will be required,” Adelstein said.

Same-sex couples in Washington may yet be able to plan a summer wedding and for those looking to celebrate in a Christian church, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here,” French said.

Cold weather means cold nights for some

            Recently Bellingham’s temperature dropped as low as 10 degrees and a blanket of snow enshrouded the city streets.  The homeless members of the Lettered Streets community who cannot find shelter indoors have a few places of refuge along the commercial sections of West Holly Street and Roeder Avenue.

            These individuals have been barred from access to the Lighthouse Mission and the two severe weather shelters that open in Bellingham when temperatures drop below 22 degrees.  This is due largely to the problems with substance abuse and mental illness that are prevalent in this chronically homeless community.

            In 2005 Washington State Legislature passed the Homeless Housing and Assistance Act pledging to cut homelessness by 50 percent over 10 years.  Communities like Seattle have been trying a new approach called non-abstinence housing or “wet-housing” and a new study just released shows some surprising results.

            Without such options in Bellingham, people like 65-year-old “Hippie”, a legally blind man and alcoholic, are forced to weather the cold nights outdoors.  Steps have been taken to help end homelessness here in Whatcom county, but at this point it’s believed that no part of Washington State will accomplish the 10 year pledge.

A cold abode

What is available?

            The city of Bellingham’s 2008-2012 Strategic Plan says there is 1,021 beds available for homeless in Whatcom County.  Of these, 302 are permanent beds for previously homeless individuals with disabilities.

            When weather gets bad in Bellingham the chronically homeless living in the Lettered Streets in have but a few options.  As many as 71 individuals took refuge in the severe weather shelters during this last snow storm but many others did not.

The Lighthouse Mission Ministries, which includes the Agape Women’s and Children’s Home, has about 100 beds men and women.  Ron Buchinski, the Lighthouse Mission’s executive director says those staying are encouraged to attend a 30 minute nightly house meeting and worship service conducted by area volunteers. 

But Hippie and other members of the homeless community say that attending the service is required and that those staying must be sober and willing to submit to a breathalyzer.

A cold abode

On Friday Jan 20, with his cane propped up against the metal walls of an abandoned container, “Hippie” listened to another homeless man tell him he’s got to find somewhere else to stay tonight due to “first-comer’s” rights.

“I’ve got a MBA and I worked for Halliburton for 27 years, but here I am,” Hippie says.

The floor of the container is littered with backpacks, cardboard, trash, pillows, and empty beer bottles but it is one of the most highly prized spots to be found. 

“The police don’t hassle us here,” Hippie says.  “They know we’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Sitting with him drinking a 40 ounce bottle of malt liquor, 20-year-old Eric says it got so cold a few nights ago they started a fire but had to put it out because the smoke had no way to escape.

“Now we just use candles, a lot of candles and this,” he says, holding up his 40 ounce bottle.

Eric, 20, keeps warm in the belly of an abandoned container.

What has been done here?

            Whatcom County has created the “Ten-year-plan to End Homelessness” and to fund its efforts has passed two bills, HB 2163 and HB 1359, that require county auditors to add a surcharge of $18 on recording documents.  Whatcom has also received a $1.4 million grant from the Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development to implement the new Homeless Services Center project.

             As part of the effort a point-in-time report on homelessness has been conducted by the Whatcom County Department of Health each year.  At this time last year there were more than 1,300 homeless individuals in Whatcom County.  The report is just a snapshot of the homeless living in Bellingham and it states that it’s likely to have underestimated the actual numbers.

According to the same report 10 percent homeless people are considered chronically  homelessness and 19 percent of the homeless in Whatcom County are unsheltered.  This means they live outdoors, in a vehicle or in an abandoned building.  It also says that 28 percent of the homeless population report drug and alcohol addiction as the reason for their circumstances and another 24 percent report mental illness.

While this report says that, as of January 2011, there had been a 48 percent decrease in chronic homelessness since 2008 it also says the homeless population as a whole only decreased by 18 percent.  Furthermore, the number of people who have been forced to move in with friends and family has increased 24 percent.  It says this increase is possibly due to the decrease in employment.

The report attributes the decrease in chronic homelessness to investments made in permanent supportive housing and the construction of two halfway houses for former inmates.  The overall decrease in homelessness has not been significant enough to meet requirements set out by the state.

A sleeping bag abandoned in the rain.

Initially July 1, 2015, was established as the required target date for reducing homelessness by 50 percent.

According to Gail DeHoog, the Housing Specialist for Whatcom County Health Department, funds raised so far are still being put to use in ways determined by a citizen’s advisory committee established by the County Executive Jack Louws. 

“We have done some really great work.  What we did was start a Homeless Services Center and the Whatcom County Coalition for the Homeless,” DeHoog said.

However, DeHoog believes that despite efforts no county in Washington will meet the target date.

“It was set before the recession hit and now I know of no plans before the legislature to adjust the official target,” DeHoog said.

"I <3 Bham and it hates me"  at the entrance to an outdoor shelter.

The housing-first approach and the cost of doing nothing

Some cities are trying a new approach to the problem of alcoholism and addiction among the homeless.  The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) in Seattle has been housing alcoholics in their ‘wet-house’ with some surprising results. 

A two-year-long study conducted at DESC and issued in the Jan. 19 issue of the American Journal of Public Health showed that despite fears of the enabling hypothesis, 95 chronically homeless alcoholics participating in a non-abstinence based housing program saw significant decreases in alcohol use over the study period.  The program did not require abstinence or treatment attendance, but participants decreased their drinking and problems related to drinking more the longer they were involved.

One of the many alcohol-related problems of the chronically homeless is their need for far more medical service than their counterparts indoors.

The England Journal of Medicine released a study that found, per visit, homeless people spend four days more at the hospital than non-homeless individuals. 

            According to research by clinicians at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program the average annual health care cost of the chronically homeless is $28,436.

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