HB 1488-S - DIGEST
(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

Finds that an extremely high risk of homelessness exists for persons discharged from state institutions and persons under ongoing care or supervision of state agencies, such as youth aging out of the foster care system, any former dependent of the state under chapter 13.34 RCW (juvenile court act--dependency and termination of parent-child relationship), adults being released from state psychiatric wards, adults receiving ongoing mental health care from regional support networks, former offenders being released from state correctional facilities, and former offenders under active supervision.

Requires the department of corrections to: (1) Submit to the appropriate committees of the legislature a plan by which the department proposes to eliminate the discharge of offenders from the custody of the department into homelessness;

(2) Record details, including an address, of the confirmed housing situation arranged for an offender pending the offender's release from custody; and

(3) Maintain a record of the former offender's housing status, while actively supervising any former offender.

Requires the department of social and health services to: (1) Submit to the legislature a plan by which the department proposes to eliminate the discharge into homelessness of youth aging out of the foster care system, chronically mentally ill persons being released from involuntary psychiatric commitment, and by which the department proposes to address the housing needs of chronically mentally ill persons receiving ongoing mental health care from regional support networks;

(2) Prior to release, record details, including an address, of the confirmed housing situation arranged for a juvenile pending the juvenile's release from custody;

(3) Track the housing status of juvenile offenders who are placed on parole for the duration of the juvenile's supervision; and

(4) Record the housing status of indigent patients when they are discharged from a state hospital.

Authorizes the county clerk to maintain a record of the last known housing status and last known address of each offender under the jurisdiction of the court for purposes of his or her financial obligations, and to provide this information to the department of corrections upon request.

Requires an offender, while under the jurisdiction of the court for the purposes of his or her financial obligations, to keep the county clerk informed of his or her housing status.

Requires the regional support network, within the patient tracking system, to track the housing status of patients receiving care from regional support networks.