Year-Round Shelter At Lincoln Center Approved For Study By Bellevue City Council. The City Council has agreed to study expanding operations at the temporary men’s shelter at Lincoln Center to year-round. The center is located at 116th St NE.
Year-Round Shelter At Linc
oln Center Approved For Study By Bellevue City Council
Currently, the emergency shelter, which has existed since 2008 at various sites, is only open during the winter months. The proposal comes in the wake of the new Land Use Code Amendment for siting permanent shelters and homeless services which was passed last week by the council.
As part of the request, the city will explore several issues related to extending services, or another similar location, excluding any of the other permanent sites that have been studied. Issues include funding strategies for the current operator (Congregations for the Homeless) and required upgrades to the Lincoln Center facility. The goal is to have a proposal ready for the council’s 2019-20 budget discussion this fall.
The information generated by the feasibility study is expected to be reviewed by the council sometime in October. Opportunities for public feedback will be included as part of development of the plan.
During the discussion, council members noted their continued support for developing a permanent shelter to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. However, with a permanent men’s home several years away, concern was expressed over how the intermittent availability of an overnight shelter impacts the success of moving people into stable housing.
The city’s homelessness in Bellevue pages have details and will have updates on the feasibility plan and public feedback opportunities as they are developed.
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