Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - 1500 State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225 Jodi Joyce (UCNW) 360-788-2620, jodi.joyce@ucnw.org County Exec Satpal Sidhu (Whatcom County - fiscal lead) 360-778-5200, ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us Funds requested: $2,000,000 Key community social and health service partners have identified a service gap in our community’s care continuum. For several years, community partners, the annual Point in Time Count, and Whatcom County’s Homeless Strategies Work Group have identified a need for medical respite beds and hygiene facilities to serve those experiencing homelessness. Through a partnership of PeaceHealth, Unity Care NW, the Opportunity Council, and Whatcom County we have an opportunity to be part of the solution to these challenges. Each of our agencies has independently struggled to meet the care and service needs of the homeless population. Each of us has also independently developed plans to enhance our response to homelessness. Through collaborative conversation, we have identified a strategy for addressing our common goals and an ongoing community need. Patients experiencing homelessness who come to the hospital for care need respite beds and a space where they can recuperate and heal after discharge on a temporary basis. Medical respite, as defined by the Respite Care Provider’s Network, is “acute and post-acute medical care for homeless persons who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets but are not ill enough to be in a hospital.” PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center (PHSJMC) routinely approves hotel vouchers for these individuals, but hotel stays lack needed services that could provide a wraparound care environment during that transition, resulting in better outcomes for both the patient and the community. In 2020 2,937, or 15%, of UCNW patients identify as homeless. These patients will benefit from a dedicated and specialized facility offering primary medical services, behavioral health/counseling a nd substance use disorder services, and case management including housing supports. The Way Station collocates these services offering the community answers to some of the identified needs for people experiencing homelessness in Whatcom County. The Way Station will provide a safe and welcoming facility where individuals and families experiencing homelessness can find a constellation of services to assist their transition to sustainable housing and access to social and health services. These services will include medical respite, a hygiene center, health care, long-term housing supports, and case management. Co-locating these services through this community partnership will provide a cost-effective approach to improving health outcomes for this population while filling identified gaps in the care continuum.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).