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                            ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 930

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By House Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Representatives Leonard, Brekke, Locke, Wineberry, Winsley, D. Nelson, Lewis, Lux, Brooks, Ebersole, Cole, Allen, Braddock, Armstrong, K. Wilson, Niemi, Valle, Miller, Addison,  Scott, R. King, Isaacson and Wang)

Read first time 3/8/85 and passed to Committee on Rules.

AN ACT Relating to "street kids"; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds there are numerous programs at the state and local levels which address the needs of children.  The legislature further finds that a growing number of children, commonly known as "street kids," receive neither direct parental supervision and care nor services from the department of social and health services.  The legislature further finds there is a need to address this population through a comprehensive review of services provided at the state and local levels.

          The legislature deems it appropriate to implement an experimental, one-year service delivery system for "street kids" while a comprehensive review of existing services is being conducted.  The experimental program for "street kids" may provide counseling, food, emergency shelter information and referral, medical care, outreach services and other services as necessary to promote the transition of these children to a supervised, safe and stable living environment.

          The experimental program for "street kids" shall be judged effective if it is shown that the program measurably diverts children living in unsupervised and dangerous urban environments from those environments, and reduces in appropriate use of crisis residential or receiving home services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  DEFINITIONS.      Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, words used in this chapter have the following meaning:

          (1) "Street kid" means a child under the age of eighteen who is not receiving care, shelter, or supervision from a parent, responsible relative, or other responsible adult; who is not receiving a residential care from the department of social and health services or a local service agency; and who is living in a dangerous urban environment.

          (2) "Multi-service center" means a facility providing a variety of services including food, emergency shelter, counseling and referral, outreach, educational, employment or other services, and which provides at least fifty percent of its services exclusively to children and youth meeting the definition of "street kids" in subsection (1) of this section.

          (3) "At-risk-child" means a child under the age of eighteen who has lived in a dangerous urban environment for at least one week and meets the definition found in subsection (1) of this section.

          (4) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The department shall establish an experimental program of services to "street kids" to include some or all of the following services:

          (1) Street outreach, advocacy and counseling to "street kids";

          (2) Short or long-term foster care;

          (3) Intervention, advocacy and counseling to children or youth at risk of becoming "street kids";

          (4) Multi-service centers as defined in section 2(2) of this chapter.

          The multi-service centers may only provide services to "street kids" between the ages of eight and seventeen.  For purposes of this act, at any one time, the number of "street kids" receiving services from any one center shall not exceed one hundred and fifty.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The department shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this chapter no later than September 1, 1985, and shall contract with public or private nonprofit agencies for services under this chapter no later than November 1, 1985.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The department shall report to the human services and ways and means committees of the senate and house of representatives on the effects of the experimental "street kids" program no later than January 1, 1987.  The report shall include at least the following information:

          (1) A description of the types of services provided and the number of children served by each type of service.

          (2) An analysis of the effects of each service in diverting children into appropriate educational programs.

          (3) An analysis of the extent to which this program reduces the inappropriate use of crisis residential centers and receiving homes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill number, is not provided in the omnibus appropriations act enacted before July 1, 1985, this act shall be null and void.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     This act shall terminate on June 30, 1987.