[2] In 1899, the first YWCA presence in Bellingham formed as a club at the New Whatcom Normal School, what is now Western Washington University.

A formal chapter was formed in 1907 which focused on helping women from overseas and rural areas find employment at a time when many new arrivals were tricked or coerced into prostitution.

[3] Today, the organization provides low cost apartments with a shared kitchen, bathroom and laundry in conjunction with support programs to help women.

The organization also runs a "low barrier" emergency shelter next door at the First Presbyterian Church where clients are not required to participate in their programs.

[4] Seattle architect Carl Frelinghuysen Gould was hired to design the three-and-a-half-story palazzo overlooking Bellingham Bay.