FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6623

C 265 L 20

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Reducing host home funding restrictions.

Sponsors: Senators Darneille, Kuderer, Warnick, Zeiger, Das, Nguyen and Saldaña.

Senate Committee on Housing Stability & Affordability

House Committee on Human Services & Early Learning

House Committee on Appropriations

Background: Host home programs link families who need temporary care for their children with families who are willing to provide temporary care for those children. Host home programs recruit and screen host families.  The children are not in the care or custody of the state.  Likewise, host home programs, and host homes, are considered a private home and are not licensed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). This license exemption applies to a host home program, or host home, if it:

• operates as a tax-exempt organization serving youth not in the care of or receiving services from DCYF;

• performs background checks on those over 18 in the host home through the Washington State Patrol, or equivalent law enforcement agency, and inspects the host home as part of its recruiting and screening for potential host homes;

• screens and provides case management to youth in the program;

• obtains notarized permission or limited power of attorney from the parent or legal guardian of the youth participating in the host home program with such permission updated every six months for stays longer than six months;

• obtains insurance for the program;

• provides mandatory reporter and confidentiality training; and

• registers with the secretary of state.

Individual host homes may not receive any public funding. Host home programs may not receive over $100,000 in public funding. If a host home program receives any public funding, that program must report annually to the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs on the:

• number of children in the program served;

• reasons for child placement with a host home; and

• location and status of the child after leaving the host home.

In July 2017, the Department of Commerce produced a report with recommendations and best practices for host home programs and submitted it to the Governor and Legislature.

Summary: The prohibition on an individual host home receiving any public funding and the annual public funding limit for host home programs are eliminated.

Host home program is defined as a program that provides support to individual host homes and meets certain requirements to be exempt from licensing under DCYF.

Votes on Final Passage: