Mobile mental health van increases access to therapy in Whatcom County

Rachel Showalter
·2 min read
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Whatcom County community members are getting a new way to access safe, convenient mental health care.

Lydia Place, a Bellingham-based non-profit organization dedicated to disrupting the cycle of homelessness, announced it is unveiling a ‘Mobile Mental Health Van.’

This renovated van will serve as a “comfortable, confidential mobile therapy room, bringing therapeutic services directly to clients who lack a safe physical space or convenient way to access mental health care,” according to a release announcing the new service.

Lydia Place purchased the van for $40,000. The interior renovation will feature all the basic amenities of an office space including a table, comfortable seating, windows, air conditioning and heating. The renovation is expected to be completed this week.

The program is being offered in response to feedback from unhoused individuals and families who struggle to find a safe, comfortable environment to receive therapy.

Lydia Place, a Bellingham nonprofit providing services for members of the unhoused community, received grant funding to purchase and renovate a van to use as a mobile mental health therapy room. Lydia Place/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald
Lydia Place, a Bellingham nonprofit providing services for members of the unhoused community, received grant funding to purchase and renovate a van to use as a mobile mental health therapy room. Lydia Place/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald

“The original idea for the van was to meet the needs of clients who are unable to participate in therapy due to complicated circumstances. Examples of this may include lack of transportation, experiences of domestic violence, or multiple generations sharing small space,” Lydia Place Marketing and Design Manager Dejah Lynn Griffin told The Bellingham Herald.

This mobile services van is one of several flexible and low-barrier services offered by the Lydia Place Mental Health Program to address homelessness and housing instability. The nonprofit also provides parenting support, family and individual therapy, workshops, crisis intervention, case management and connects people to housing.

“The program supports families in maintaining stable housing while addressing the complex trauma associated with experiencing homelessness to break the cycle for themselves and their families,” the release states.

Lydia Place was able to purchase and convert the van into a mobile mental health space through multiple grants from the Boeing Employees Community Fund (ECF), Jerry H. Walton Foundation, Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation, Anytime Vans and Frontier Ford of Anacortes.