Officials break ground on The Way Station Friday, Aug. 18 in Bellingham. From left are Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, Unity Care NW CEO Jodi Joyce, state Sen. Sharon Shewmake, Opportunity Council Executive Director Greg Winter and PeaceHealth Community Health Director Rachel Lucy. Photo courtesy of Andy Bronson, Cascadia Daily News.

On Friday, August 18th, public officials and community leaders gathered at 1500 N. State Street to take the next step in a project that will provide Bellingham residents with sorely needed health and hygiene services.  

The Way Station is a collaboration between Opportunity Council, Unity Care NW, PeaceHealth, and the Whatcom County Health Department. This health and hygiene facility contains 17 beds and will provide showers, clean and safe restroom facilities, and laundry facilities to people experiencing homelessness. Patients experiencing homelessness who are discharged from the hospital but need somewhere to recover will be referred to the Way Station’s medical respite program. 

On Friday, a groundbreaking event for the new center was attended by Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, Unity Care NW CEO Jodi Joyce, state Sen. Sharon Shewmake, Opportunity Council Executive Director Greg Winter and PeaceHealth Community Health Director Rachel Lucy.  

The six gathered in front of the building – owned by Whatcom County – that’s now being renovated to become the Way Station. Holding golden shovels, they dug into a long pile of dirt and shoveled it into the air, a way to ceremonially mark the start of construction that the community partners hope to complete in the summer of 2024. 

People without stable housing miss out on important tools for hygiene that help maintain their sense of dignity and let them safely heal from medical issues. When the construction on the Way Station building is complete, our Whatcom Homeless Service Center hopes to begin their operation of the respite program and to begin a new journey in addressing these needs. 

To support Whatcom Homeless Service Center and other Opportunity Council programs, please donate online. 

Two men and a woman, all clad in business wear, stand by the door of a building chatting. From left are Satpal Sidhu, Greg Winter, and Jodi Joyce.

County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Greg Winter of Opportunity Council, and Jodi Joyce of Unity Care NW converse near the entrance of the future Way Station site.

A silver metallic building awning reads "Whatcom Health Center" in all caps. On the front of the building, a vinyl banner says "The Way Station."

The former Whatcom Health Center building owned by Whatcom County is undergoing renovations to become the Way Station.

Two women with curly hair stand below a set of stairs, conversing with each other and a man in a baseball cap standing on the stairs.

From left, Opportunity Council Director of Operations Lorena Shah; Homeless Outreach Team Manager Marisa Schoeppach; and Street Outreach Specialist Dane Daniels converse at the groundbreaking of the Way Station partnership.