We advocate for positive policy change in Washington State.
Our lead and support items for our 2014 State Legislative Agenda are below. Through an extensive decision-making process, the Housing Alliance Public Policy Committee (PPC) helps determine our state legislative agenda that the board later approves. The PPC is comprised of individual Housing Alliance members from across the state who together have a depth of housing and policy experience representing the spectrum of affordable housing and homelessness stakeholders.
Lead Items – Legislation and policy that the Housing Alliance directly advocates for.
Support Items – Legislation and policy that our members lead on and that we also support.
Each item has a unique #hashtag that we’ll be using to provide up-to-the-minute legislative updates during session at www.twitter.com/wliha.
Download our printable State Legislative Agenda Lead Priorities document here.
Agenda legislativa estatal prioridades primordiales folleto aquí.
Download our printable State Legislative Agenda Support Priorities document here.
Check out the status of our priorities at our Bill Tracker.
Watch this page for regular updates. For more information, contact Director of Policy and Advocacy Michele Thomas at michele(at)wliha(.)org.
State Legislative Agenda: 2014 Lead Items
Invest in the Washington State Housing Trust Fund (HTF)
By creating affordable homes, HTF builds healthy communities & improves health and education outcomes for our children!
#HTF2014
About the Housing Trust Fund
Building affordable homes can be challenging in communities across Washington. The private, for-profit housing market builds market-rate developments with rents that are out of reach for lower income families and individuals. The Housing Trust Fund evens the field by creating safe, healthy, and affordable homes. Each year, the state invests in the Housing Trust Fund through the Capital Budget and these funds are used to build and preserve affordable homes across Washington. The Department of Commerce administers the funds that nonprofit housing providers and public housing authorities can apply for. In any project, the HTF is one of many funding sources and leverages significant additional other public and private resources to build and maintain affordable homes.
The Legislative Solution
The state budget operates on a two-year spending period or biennium. 2014 is the second year of the 2013-15 biennium and the legislature can pass a Supplemental Capital Budget. Over the past decade, advocates have succeeded in getting the legislature to allocate between 3 and 4 percent of the total two-year Capital Budget for the HTF. To match the average Housing Trust Fund allocations from previous years, please ask your elected officials to invest deeply in the Housing Trust Fund and bring the total as close to 4% of the total Capital Budget as possible. This will allow our state to keep pace with the growing need for both affordable homes and the good jobs that the HTF creates.
Resources
Housing Trust Fund One-Pager - Updated 1/9/2014*
*Previous versions incorrectly listed the beginning of the Great Recession, which actually began in 2007.
El fideicomiso de vivienda folleto
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
This Washington State Housing Finance Commission article is a great overview of the history of HTF
Department of Commerce HTF Page
Protect & Strengthen the Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) and the Aged, Blind & Disabled (ABD) Programs
Protect Washington's lifeline for disabled & elderly adults!
#HEN2014
About the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Program
The state’s Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program ensures that people with temporary mental or physical disabilities can meet their basic needs and access stable housing when facing extreme economic hardship. The program has provided rental and utility assistance to over 13,000 disabled adults with incomes below $339 per month since it was implemented in November 2011. HEN assistance ranges from $50 to $800 per month, depending on the county and local housing costs. Recipients are also able to access essential basic needs, including transportation assistance and health/hygiene items until they are back on their feet.
About the Aged, Blind & Disabled (ABD) Program
The Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) program helps extremely low-income adults with permanent mental health illness or permanent physical disabilities with $197 per month while they are applying to the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This can be a multi-year application process. ABD provides the temporary $197 monthly cash grant to over 20,000 individuals. When people transition to SSI, the state is retroactively reimbursed for the full cost of the ABD cash grant. ABD also provides support to low-income elderly and disabled documented immigrants who are not yet eligible for federal medical and income support benefits.
The Legislative Solution
HEN and ABD should be protected from new budget cuts. Additionally, the following two changes are needed to improve program access and recipients’ health and housing stability:
- Increase the ABD cash grant. Then, permanently disabled and elderly adults can have adequate resources to secure stable housing while their SSI application is pending. Any increase in funding to the ABD grant will lead to better health and housing stability outcomes and will be reimbursed to the state if recipients transition to SSI.
- Extend HEN eligibility to people whose primary disability is chemical dependency. Stable housing is critical for the success and survival of people undergoing chemical dependency treatment and recovering from an addiction.
Resources
Housing and Essential Needs/Aged, Blind & Disabled One-Pager - Updated 1/8/2014
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Housing and Essential Needs/Aged, Blind & Disabled Policy Brief - Updated 1/2/2013
Housing and Essential Needs Performance Data (through 10/31/2012)
Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD) and Medical Care Services (MCS) Client Housing Status
Enact Part 3 of the Fair Tenant Screening Act - HB 2537 | SB 6291
Make tenant screening reports practical, efficient, and portable!
#FTSA2014
About the Tenant Screening Report Portability Issue
If you’ve ever repeatedly paid for the same costly tenant screening report in the search for a home, then you’ll understand the need for this legislation. The average renter will have to pay for three or more tenant screening reports when they are trying to find new housing.
Seattle-based social service organization Solid Ground surveyed tenants who used the nonprofit’s programs. They found these tenants spent on average $166 for repeat screening reports during a single housing search. These screening fees can become a significant moving cost, especially for families on limited incomes, already burdened with a deposit and first month’s rent. And for what? One tenant screening report has virtually the same information as the other reports. Wouldn’t it be more efficient and practical to buy just one online report and provide the log-in information to all the landlords requesting this data? This legislation aims to do just that.
The Legislative Solution
Support the Fair Tenant Screening Act. Support practical and efficient tenant screening report portability, so people have better opportunities to afford a home. This is what our legislation hopes to accomplish:
- A renter buys a standard online tenant screening report that meets the legal definition of a current and comprehensive report*.
- When this renter provides access to this secure, online report to landlords, they should not be able to charge this prospective tenant for another report.
- Landlords will still be free to use their own tenant screening company, but they won’t be able to charge the tenant for this cost.
*Advocates will work with stakeholders, including landlords, to define a current and comprehensive report. Landlords will be able to access these reports through a secure online portal using a tenant screening company-generated password. These reports will only be valid for one month after purchase.
Resources
Fair Tenant Screening Act-Part 3 One-Pager - Updated 1/15/2014
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Tell Your Legislators about this Bill
House Bill 2537
Prevent the Sunsetting of the State's Document Recording Fees - HB 2368 | SB 6313
Make permanent Washington’s most vital resource for homelessness programs!
#DRF2014
About Document Recording Fees
Washington State has embraced the use of modest recording fees on some real estate related documents as a significant source of funds for homelessness programs. These effective state and local programs help transition people off the streets into shelters and homes. The fees are the state’s most significant funding source for homelessness programs, representing almost half of all funds.
This fee is set to reduce by $10 in July 2015 and then reduce by another $20 in July 2017. This would result in a loss of 62.5% of total current funding for homelessness. If this happens, effective homelessness programs across the state will experience severe cuts or will close. This could seriously set back the progress we’ve made in decreasing homelessness in Washington.
The Legislative Solution
Make the document recording fees permanent to keep Washington on the successful path of preventing and ending homelessness.
Resources
Document Recording Fee One-Pager - Updated 1/8/2014
Local Homeless Surcharge One-Pager (Department of Commerce) - NEW
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Document Recording Fee Revenue and Expenditures by County
Document Recording Fee Fact Sheets by County
Tell Your Legislators about this Bill
Leverage Medicaid Expansion to End Homelessness & Improve Health
Ensure that services for people living in supportive housing can be sufficiently billed to Medicaid!
#Medicaid2014
About the Medicaid Supportive Housing Services Benefit
Prior to the Affordable Care Act, many chronically homeless adults, including those residing in supportive housing, were not eligible for Medicaid or had barriers in applying. In 2014, nearly all homeless persons will, by virtue of their incomes, be eligible for Medicaid, including ones already living in supportive housing. If a Medicaid Supportive Housing Services Benefit was created, then supportive housing providers could bill Medicaid for supportive services provided to eligible residents. This would allow more chronically homeless people to access these services, would improve the integration of behavioral and health services, and would help individuals with severe and chronic health conditions stay off the street and be in a healthy home.
The Legislative Solution
This issue may be addressed outside the legislative process. Please check back at our website for more information about this as the 2014 session unfolds.
Resources
Medicaid Expansion to End Homelessness One-Pager - Updated 1/8/2014
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Center for Health Care Strategies: Medicaid-Financed Services in Supportive Housing for High-Need Homeless Beneficiaries: The Business Case
CSH: Supportive Housing Research FAQs: Who Lives in Supportive Housing?
Building Changes: A series of briefs exploring the connections between health care reform, housing, and the work to end homelessness in Washington State.
Enact Revenue to Avoid Cuts to Services and Programs
#NewRevenueWA
Families (TANF) is a critical safety net for vulnerable families across the state. But in 2011, Washington State enacted some of the deepest cuts to the program in recent history, cuts that led to more than 21,500 children across our state losing benefits and a 15% reduction in the benefit for those remaining on the program. During this time, the proportion of TANF families experiencing homeless has grown from 8.24% to 13.88%. We support our partners’ goals of restoring and strengthening the grant and implementing other improvements to make TANF work better for Washington’s families.
Washington residents value caring for our most vulnerable, and our budget priorities should reflect that.
Resources
Our Economic Future Coalition
State Legislative Agenda: 2014 Support Items
These are in no particular order.
The Homeless Children Education Act - HB 2373 | SB 6074
Improve educational outcomes for Washington's homeless students.
HCEA would improve data collection on the educational outcomes of students experiencing homelessness and provide teachers and school staff with improved training to help them identify and serve homeless students in school. Improved data collection will help schools, community organizations, and policy leaders target effective solutions to help homeless students succeed in school. Improved training will help teachers and staff bring homeless students out of the shadows and provide these kids with the stability and support that will help them graduate.
Learn more at our partner’s website: UW Law Children & Youth Legislative Advocacy Clinic (CAYLAC).
Resources
UW School of Law Children & Youth Legislative Advocacy Clinic (CAYLAC): Homeless Students Fact Sheet (short)
UW School of Law Children & Youth Legislative Advocacy Clinic (CAYLAC): Homeless Students Fact Sheet (long)
Protect TANF and the families that rely on this important program
Ensure this lifeline for low-income families who rely on this important program.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a critical lifeline for vulnerable families across the state. But in 2011, Washington State enacted some of the deepest cuts to the program in recent history, cuts that led to more than 17,000 children across our state losing benefits and a reduction in the benefit for those remaining on the program. We support our partners’ goals of restoring the grants and implementing other improvements to make TANF work better for Washington’s families.
Learn more at our partners' websites: Statewide Poverty Action Network.
Resources
Washington State Budget and Policy Center: Caseload Decline is Nothing to Celebrate
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Extended Foster Care: Protect youth aging out of foster care - SB 6101 | HB 2335
Expand EFC to include the final two categories: part-time employed and those with serious medical conditions.
The Extended Foster Care Program allows youth to remain in the foster care system until the age of 21 in order to achieve a high school diploma/GED, pursue their post-secondary education, or pursue programs that break down barriers to employment. However, there are still two categories of young people exempt from this program: youth working 80 hours per month or more and youth with a documented medical condition. Passing this legislation will ensure all youth aging out of care will have the opportunity to maintain safe housing until age 21.
Learn more at our partner's websites: The Mockingbird Society.
Resources
The Mockingbird Society Extended Foster Care Fact Sheet
The Mockingbird Society 2014 Legislative Agenda
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Protect the Foreclosure Fairness Act
Making fixes to the Foreclosure Fairness Act will allow the Foreclosure Fairness Program to build upon past successes.
The state legislature passed the Foreclosure Fairness Act in April 2011. It created the Foreclosure Fairness Program, which provides homeowner foreclosure assistance. Prior to initiating foreclosure, mortgage lenders must notify borrowers that free foreclosure counseling and the potential for foreclosure mediation are available. Administered by Commerce, the program offers free housing counseling, civil legal aid, education and outreach, and the opportunity for mediation. It addresses the rise in foreclosures by improving communication between lenders and homeowners to avoid foreclosure when possible. While the program has been quite successful, areas exist that the legislature can improve upon. These detailed recommendations begin on page 19 of Commerce's Foreclosure Fairness Program Annual Report on Program Performance document.
Learn more at our partner’s website: Columbia Legal Services.
Resources
Department of Commerce: Foreclosure Fairness Program Annual Report on Program Performance (RCW 61.24.163)
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker
Align the state and federal definitions of service animals - 2SHB 1024
Changing the state definition to match the federal will end confusion and help disabled Washington tenants.
The federal Fair Housing Act protects the right of a person with a disability to have a therapy animal in their home, but the Washington State Law Against Discrimination only protects this right when the animal is specifically a dog or miniature horse and is trained to perform a task. This bill would ensure that Washington State law and federal law are aligned with respect to animals that assist persons with disabilities for purposes of reasonable accommodations in housing.
Learn more at our partners' website: Washington State Human Rights Commission and Disability Rights Washington.
Resources
Washington State Human Rights Commission: Q&A about Service & Assistance Animals
Update of this Priority at our Bill Tracker