H-1724.1

HOUSE BILL 1601

ByRepresentatives Leavitt, Caldier, Ryu, Corry, Taylor, Slatter, Eslick, Thai, Chopp, J. Johnson, Fitzgibbon, Robertson, Wicks, Bateman, Simmons, Duerr, Sells, Berg, Walen, Graham, Paul, Gregerson, Callan, Fey, Peterson, Ramos, Rule, Santos, Wylie, Sullivan, Bergquist, Tharinger, Pollet, Griffey, Dolan, Riccelli, Ormsby, Frame, Young, and Hackney

AN ACT Relating to expanding the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth pilot program; and amending RCW 28B.50.916.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28B.50.916 and 2021 c 62 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, ((the college board shall select eight college districts, with no less than four located outside of the Puget Sound region to participate in a pilot))each community and technical college may implement a program to provide assistance to students experiencing homelessness and to students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school. The ((college districts chosen to participate in the pilot)) program must provide certain accommodations to these students that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(a) Access to laundry facilities;

(b) Access to storage;

(c) Access to locker room and shower facilities;

(d) Reduced-price meals or meal plans, and access to food banks;

(e) Access to technology;

(f) Access to short-term housing or housing assistance, especially during seasonal breaks; and

(g) Case management services.

(2) The ((college districts))community and technical colleges may also establish plans to develop surplus property for affordable housing to accommodate the needs of students experiencing homelessness and students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school.

(3) The ((college districts participating in the pilot program))community and technical colleges shall leverage existing community resources by making available to students in the ((pilot)) program information that is available for individuals experiencing homelessness, including through not-for-profit organizations, the local housing authority, and the department of commerce's office of homeless youth.

(4) The ((college districts participating in the pilot program))community and technical colleges shall provide a joint report to the appropriate committees of the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 by December 1, 2023, that includes at least the following information:

(a) The number of students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and the number of former foster care students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school who ((were attending))attended a community or technical college ((during the pilot program)). The college board shall coordinate with all of the community and technical colleges to collect voluntary data on how many students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity are attending the community and technical colleges;

(b) The number of students assisted by the ((pilot)) program;

(c) Strategies for accommodating students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and former foster care students; and

(d) Legislative recommendations for how students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and former foster care students could be better served.

(((5) The college districts not selected to participate in the pilot program are:

(7) This section expires January 1, 2025.))

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