Child Welfare Housing Assistance Pilot Program.
The Child Welfare Housing Assistance Pilot Program (pilot) was authorized to begin July 1, 2020, and provides housing vouchers, rental assistance, navigation, and other support services to eligible families.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is required to operate or contract for the operation of the pilot, and contracted with Reliable Enterprise located in Lewis County to operate the pilot.
A parent with a child who is dependent and whose primary remaining barrier to reunification is the lack of appropriate housing is eligible for the pilot. A total of 123 families have received housing vouchers or other assistance through the pilot. Currently, there is a waitlist of 40 families interested in receiving assistance through the pilot.
The pilot is scheduled to expire June 30, 2023.
Candidate for Foster Care.
A child who is a candidate for foster care is a child who the DCYF identifies as being at imminent risk of entering foster care, but who can remain safely in the child's home or in a kinship placement as long as services or programs that are necessary to prevent entry of the child into foster care are provided. This includes a child whose adoption or guardianship arrangement is at risk of a disruption or dissolution that would result in a foster care placement.
A child is a candidate for foster care when:
The Child Welfare Housing Assistance Program (Program) is established as a permanent program instead of a pilot program with an expiration date of June 30, 2023. The Program is expanded to serve one or more counties on the east and west sides of the Cascade Mountains.
The eligibility for the Program is expanded to include:
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) must contract with an outside entity or entities who have a demonstrated understanding of the importance of stable housing for children and families involved or at risk of being involved with the child welfare system to operate the Program.
The reporting requirement for the DCYF is modified to require the report on the Program to:
The substitute bill modifies the reporting requirement for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to require the report on the Child Welfare Housing Assistance Program (Program) to:
(In support) There is a housing crisis. This can happen because of poverty. Removing children just because of poverty is not the best approach. In the past, too many children were removed from parents. Removal is a trauma in and of itself. This bill relates to housing and poverty.
This bill supports housing for children and families and does not address other issues. There should be an early investment in housing to prevent family crisis.
There are families that are so focused on making ends meet and supporting a family that some housing needs can be neglected, which can lead to the removal of children. Institutional care is extremely expensive. Housing programs can prevent removal, which leads to trauma and great expense.
This legislation creates an innovative partnership between housing authorities and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Housing authorities have been working to develop a program with the DCYF, and this bill would support that effort.
This bill would help make Washington more competitive on receiving matching federal housing grants.
This is a smart investment and the right thing to do. This bill supports the most vulnerable population.
Domestic violence is the biggest cause of homelessness for children and women. Programs like this help reduce the amount of time that children are separated from their families. This program is incredibly important for survivors of domestic violence attempting to flee their perpetrators.
Lack of housing impacts reunification. This program is more cost-effective than out-of-home care.
Many children end up homeless after exiting child welfare services. The housing authorities have committed vouchers worth around $60 million to child welfare involved families, but these vouchers are only available if the DCYF commits to providing supportive services.
When a child comes into care, the goal is to reunify families. To do this, services are delivered. These services create a pathway to reunification. These children also need a place to live.
There are a number of occasions where people engage in services and the only thing needed is appropriate housing. It can take many months for families to get housing.
(Opposed) None.