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Presented by Unity Care NW
In the year Since 2016, homelessness has been on the rise across the country. In places like Whatcom County, homelessness makes homelessness a more pervasive and visible issue. Most Washingtonians can relate to the feeling that housing opportunities are becoming more and more accessible. The economics of post-pandemic life and the high cost of living in our region have caused financial stress for everyone. As inflation and interest rate changes can tighten the housing market and exacerbate challenges for small business owners, economic tensions can lead to conflict. The negative interactions between homeless people are especially frustrating for anyone who claims to come together as a community to end homelessness.
Organizations working to provide services to people experiencing homelessness have a unique understanding of this public health crisis. Unity Care NW (UCNW), a local non-profit community health center, provides comprehensive health services to the underserved. Their staff sees firsthand the negative health effects of homelessness on their patients. Many have symptoms of trauma and are exposed to disease due to lack of access to basic sanitation facilities. With 15% of UCNW patients experiencing homelessness – compared to an average of 8% at other community health centers nationally – UCNW is determined to show that everyone can count on them. can Do something to fight homelessness must be. Do something.
This launched a partnership for UCNW with PeaceHealth, Whatcom County and the Opportunity Council to better meet the health and hygiene needs of people experiencing homelessness in Whatcom County. The result of this collaboration is a new facility called The Way Station, which will provide showers, laundry and toilet facilities, as well as accommodation for people who have had a medical event and have no place to recover. The Way site connects clients to UnityCare NW’s mental health and substance use disorder treatment and Opportunity Council’s housing support services.
The facility will be housed in a county-owned building at 1500 N State Street. Renovation in 2010 It will begin in early 2023, and is expected to open in the fall of 2023.
Helping each other is the answer.
While researching successful sanitation center models, The Way Station partners Visited City Break. in Seattle. A common theme in conversations with professionals on homelessness is the power of dignity to restore hope and create pathways out of homelessness. “The City Break stop allowed me to get cleaned up so I could get a job,” says one customer in a testimonial. “Treat me with dignity and respect. Without these services, it would have been extremely difficult to improve my situation. Way Station models the compassionate, trauma-informed approach Unity Care NW has used to effectively engage patients and neighbors with homelessness.
UCNW recently brought Ryan Dowd, executive director of the second largest homeless shelter in America, to train staff to use empathy-based approaches to compassionately and effectively defuse situations and manage conflict. UCNW has partnered with the City of Bellingham, Bellingham Public Library and Mount Baker Theater to provide similar training to employees of more than 800 local businesses and nonprofits. Empathy does not mean excusing and accepting all of a person’s negative traits, it requires us to approach others with the understanding that their unique experiences and biology affect the way they navigate the world. This can make a difference in a person’s journey from homelessness.
A person does not need to receive special training to help in the fight against homelessness and an organization does not need to focus on social services to contribute to solving the housing problem. Everyone can do something to move the needle on homelessness. Unity Care NW is eager to strengthen its commitment to disrupting the cycle of homelessness. At The Way Station, a partnership, trauma-informed and compassionate approach works to remove barriers to basic health and hygiene needs and help more people get into permanent housing.
To learn more about The Way Station or to get involved, please go to unitycarenw.org/health-and-hygiene.
About Unity Care NW
The mission of Unity Care NW (UCNW) is to increase healthy life years in the people and communities we serve. UCNW is a federally qualified health center with sites in Bellingham and Ferndale. Founded in 1982, the nonprofit organization UnityCare NW provides medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy services to the more than 22,000 Whatcom County residents who call NW their medical home. Services are available to all people regardless of their ability to pay.
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