Work Release House Approved

The city Hearing examiner in Bellingham Washington has approved a permit for a second work release housing facility in the Sehome neighborhood.

The facility is planned to be built next door to the current work release facility located at 1125-1127 N. Garden St.

The 16-bedroom house is intended to be open by Summer 2015 and will house prisoners who are within six months of their prison release.

The building could not be used as a work-release house without Legislative approval or staffing from the Department of Corrections because it is operated by the nonprofit organization Community Work Training Association. Staff members from the current facility are now working with the department to set up funding for the house.

The permit issued in September, puts multiple limits on the property. The two buildings combined can only house 50 people, and the new house can only house 25. If for any reason one of the work release houses close, the other building would only be allowed to house a maximum of 25 prisoners. The permit also states that whoever runs the facility needs to provide an anti-harassment program for the neighborhood, and the building must have contact information posted for anyone who has questions or problems with the residents.

The city of Bellingham has not received a large amount of support from homeowners in the Sehome neighborhood about the expansion of this facility. Before the hearing on August 13th dozens of worried neighbors wrote to the city about their disapproval of the second work release house. They voiced their concerns about the lack of job opportunities for the prisoners, preserving the historic residential neighborhood and safety for children and students living in the area. "I think it is more dangerous to give them a place to live so close to others," Sehome neighbor, Taylor Menzel said.

Work release serves as a bridge between life in prison and life in the community. Residents of these facilities are assisted with finding and retaining employment, learning basic social skills and managing their personal finances, according to the Department of Corrections website. "I am all for rehabilitation because that is needed to grow and get better, but it should be located somewhere not around a ton of people." Menzel said.

A study by Dr. Susan Turner of the National Institute of Justice showed that 40% of prisoners who did not attend a work release program returned to jail or prison within three years of release. While less than 5% of prisoners in a work release program committed new crimes, 99% of which were less serious property offenses.

Hayley Gjertsen, a resident in the Sehome neighborhood is for the expansion of the work release housing facility, "I like the idea of having a place for these people to go because rehabilitation is important and that is something are jails are missing," she said. Residents who complete the six-month work release program are more likely to be successful in maintaining employment, finding stable housing and pay legal financial obligations, According to the Department of Corrections. "Giving these prisoners a chance to better their lives will hopefully help them move away from their previous lifestyle," Gjertsen said.

Recent research conducted by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy indicates that work release programs have a positive cost and benefit impact. For every dollar spent, $3.82 is returned to the state. "It is saving the tax payers money, it is more expensive to keep these guys in prison," Sehome resident, Christopher Hatch said. "I have lived in this neighborhood for two years and I have never heard of any issues with the guys living in the current work release house so I don't have a problem with it," Hatch said about the approval of the expansion.

Within the first five years of the new home's existence the Hearing Examiner will review this case to see how things are working out. Washington State currently has 16 work release homes. Bellingham's first work release home has been open since 1983 and the next closest home is located more than an hour North in Snohomish County.

"People see this as being dangerous now, but in the long run I think this will be safer because it is going to help the prisoners," Hatch said.

Pedestrian Safety on Sehome Hill

The one-mile stretch of road, starting at the corner of South Samish Way going west toward Western Washington University on Bill McDonald Parkway has increased in safety concerns for campus pedestrians.

The stretch of Sehome Hill consists of five different bus stops, four cross walks and six different apartment complexes including WWU's off campus living, Birnam Wood. Everyday Hundreds of students walk and ride the buses to school. Due to the increase of transportation in this area there has been an increase of concern for pedestrians.

According to the Bellingham Police Crime Statistics, traffic accidents in this neighborhood in the last five years were at its highest point in 2012, recording an average of four accidents a month and In January of 2013 their was a reported hit-and-run of a WWU student crossing the street on Bill McDonald Parkway.

Western Washington University is a pedestrian oriented campus, with pedestrians taking the highest priority over all other modes of travel, according to Associated Students of Western Washington University. To make campus pedestrian improvements, the Associated Students Transportation Advisory Committee Master Plan stated in 2013 that flashing crosswalks would be installed at bus stops on Ferry Avenue and 32nd Street. The flashing crosswalk signs stretch over the two lanes of Bill McDonald and flash yellow when someone is crossing the street. "Cross walks are the worst because people just walk through them without looking, they just expect cars to stop. I do think the flashing lights catch the drivers eyes better and make them more aware that there could be a pedestrian," 23-year old, Anthony Flatt said.

Flashing crosswalk signs were not installed at the Buchannan towers cross walk where WWU student, Bryce McKay walks to school from his apartment on Knox Avenue. "I always walk to and from school at the crosswalk by Buchannan Towers," McKay said. "One morning as I was walking to class a car came speeding past me because there were no crosswalk lights. I had to jog to the other side since the car was coming at me fast and I had to dodge it. I looked at them in frustration but they just kept on driving," McKay said. "They probably weren’t paying attention, I see a lot of drivers who aren’t paying attention."

There are also a number of things that could be distracting to the driver while on the road including texting, using your cell phone, adjusting the radio and talking to passengers. 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of adults admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving according to the CAA distracted drivers website. This calls for pedestrians at WWU's campus to pay attention to drivers that are not focused on the road. "College students are distracted while driving, they are always in a hurry, running late to class and never 100 percent focused on the road," Flatt said. Approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving at any given daylight moment across America, a number that has held steady since 2010 and drivers in their 20's make up 27% of distracted drivers in fatal crashes, according to the Official US Government Website for Distracted driving.

The weather also plays a factor into the danger for pedestrians on the WWU campus. During the Fall and Winter quarters on campus it is typically foggy, cloudy or raining. Bellingham was named the Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists magazine in 2014. Bellingham is known for its vast amount of bikers, "There are so many bikers and walkers on campus, and a lot of them are wearing dark clothes not proper reflective gear," Flatt said.

"It makes it hard to see them (pedestrians) especially when it starts getting darker outside because the weather has an affect on the vision of the road. I have come close to hitting four to five people already this year," Flatt said. 

The Back to Work Boutique

The Back to Work Boutique is a program through the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) that provides free new clothes to low-income women in Whatcom County.

If any women are in need of clothing they can call and make an appointment to meet with a consultant who will help them pick out up to 5 new outfits including shoes, jewelry, coat and makeup. "I have been a consultant on Friday mornings here for three to four years now, it is the best thing I do all week," Volunteer Deborah Gaber said, "Women are worthy of my time and energy, it feels great to have people leave happy with the clothes they just got."

Women of all ages who are in need of clothing for any occasion can come to the Back to Work Boutique, "We have a no questions asked policy," YWCA Office Manager, Mary Dickman said. "We have women's clothing for everything, it doesn’t have to be for just back to work."

So far in 2014, 275 women have been served by the Back to Work Boutique, according to YWCA Housing Director, Mary Haggen. On average the boutique sees about three to six women daily and 300 to 500 women over the course of a year. "All agencies in Bellingham help spread the word about us," Dickman said.

The Back to Work Boutique is located in the basement of the YWCA on North Forest Street in downtown Bellingham. It was recently remodeled in 2002 and now is a cozy room filled with racks full of suits, pants, t-shirts, pajamas, shoes and much more. "Every once in a while we get a women who comes in and has nothing but the clothes on her back," Gaber said. "I have met some amazing strong women who have been through struggles."

The Back to Work Boutique is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is always looking for volunteers and donations. The YWCA is a non profit organization, "We have huge community support for donations, but we always looking for more size zero to four, plus sizes and warm coats for during the winter season," Gaber said.

The YWCA recently started the Prom Dress Program, which allows young women of all incomes access to a formal dress for special occasions. Radio station, Praise 106.5 teamed up with the YWCA to spread the word about the Prom Dress Boutique opening. "It's all about spreading the word by mouth,"Haggen said. A prom dress shop that was closing in Canada heard about the boutique on the radio and donated all their dresses, the YWCA now has received over 200 formal dresses and on average sees about 40 to 50 girls this year, "Since I have started working here I have always wanted a Prom Dress Boutique and now I finally got one," Haggen said. "Any girls can get a dress for any reason, even if they just want a new dress for fun."

The YWCA opened in 1915, and since then has provided safe transitional housing for women, and is the only transitional housing program available to single adult women in Whatcom County. Women come to the YWCA for all different types of reason's but the goal of the YWCA is to provide a safe and supportive place for these women to stay while connecting them with the appropriate resources to get their lives back on track and become self-supporting, According to the YWCA website.

The YWCA houses up to 36 women, the average stay is about 60 days in the emergency shelter, and 8 months in the transitional housing program. "We have special events for the women like bingo nights and movie nights. We also help women access treatment and counseling," Haggen said. "The best part about my job is watching women succeed in their sobriety, homelessness and watching their growth."

"My job at the YWCA is hard because things don't always work out the way you want them too, but when they do it is a great feeling and very rewarding. I come to work for the success stories," Dickman said. "The women here are lovely, I love them all."