BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A count by a volunteers showed the number of homeless people in Bellingham is declining.
Housing advocates say their organizations have had success in a difficult economy by targeting services to the most vulnerable. The Bellingham Herald reports that volunteers counted 500 homeless people during the Jan. 26 “point in time” count, compared to 700 last year.
Homelessness as defined for the count includes living on the street or in a vehicle, an emergency shelter or transitional housing.
The count is only a snapshot of homelessness taken one day a year. Greg Winter is the director of the Whatcom Homeless Service Center. He says the total number of homeless people in Bellingham is probably between 1,500 and 2,000.
