CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SENATE BILL 5252
65th Legislature
2017 3rd Special Session
SENATE BILL 5252
Passed Legislature - 2017 3rd Special Session
State of Washington
65th Legislature
2017 Regular Session
By Senators Angel and Wilson
Read first time 01/18/17. Referred to Committee on Human Services, Mental Health & Housing.
AN ACT Relating to measuring the effectiveness of document recording fee surcharge funds that support homeless programs; amending RCW 43.185C.040; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that a surcharge on documents recorded for the sale or transfer of real property have generated approximately one hundred forty million dollars for homeless programs in Washington. The legislature further finds that according to a third-party audit of the use of surcharge funds, additional performance measures are needed to effectively measure the success of the state's homeless programs. Therefore, the legislature finds that developing and adopting recommendations to improve performance measures contained in the December 5, 2016, report required under RCW 43.185C.240(1)(e) will help ensure accountability and transparency of public funds and their effectiveness in reducing homelessness in Washington.
Sec. 2.  RCW 43.185C.040 and 2015 c 69 s 25 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Six months after the first Washington homeless census, the department shall, in consultation with the interagency council on homelessness and the affordable housing advisory board, prepare and publish a ten-year homeless housing strategic plan which shall outline statewide goals and performance measures and shall be coordinated with the plan for homeless families with children required under RCW 43.63A.650. To guide local governments in preparation of their first local homeless housing plans due December 31, 2005, the department shall issue by October 15, 2005, temporary guidelines consistent with this chapter and including the best available data on each community's homeless population. Local governments' ten-year homeless housing plans shall not be substantially inconsistent with the goals and program recommendations of the temporary guidelines and, when amended after 2005, the state strategic plan.
(2) Program outcomes and performance measures and goals shall be created by the department and reflected in the department's homeless housing strategic plan as well as interim goals against which state and local governments' performance may be measured, including:
(a) By the end of year one, completion of the first census as described in RCW 43.185C.030;
(b) By the end of each subsequent year, goals common to all local programs which are measurable and the achievement of which would move that community toward housing its homeless population; and
(c) By July 1, 2015, reduction of the homeless population statewide and in each county by fifty percent.
(3)(a) The department shall work in consultation with the interagency council on homelessness, the affordable housing advisory board, and the state advisory council on homelessness to develop performance measures that address the limitations of the annual point-in-time count on measuring the effectiveness of the document recording fee surcharge funds in supporting homeless programs. The department must report its findings and recommendations regarding the new performance measures to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2017.
(b) The department must implement at least three performance metrics, in addition to the point-in-time measurement, that measure the impact of surcharge funding on reducing homelessness by July 1, 2018.
(c) The joint legislative audit and review committee must review how the surcharge fees are expended to address homelessness, including a review of the related program performance measures and targets. The joint legislative audit and review committee must report its review findings by December 1, 2022, and update the review every five years thereafter.
(4) The department shall develop a consistent statewide data gathering instrument to monitor the performance of cities and counties receiving grants in order to determine compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in the grant application or required by the department.
The department shall, in consultation with the interagency council on homelessness and the affordable housing advisory board, report biennially to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature an assessment of the state's performance in furthering the goals of the state ten-year homeless housing strategic plan and the performance of each participating local government in creating and executing a local homeless housing plan which meets the requirements of this chapter. To increase the effectiveness of the report, the department must develop a process to ensure consistent presentation, analysis, and explanation in the report, including year-to-year comparisons, highlights of program successes and challenges, and information that supports recommended strategy or operational changes. The annual report may include performance measures such as:
(a) The reduction in the number of homeless individuals and families from the initial count of homeless persons;
(b) The reduction in the number of unaccompanied homeless youth. "Unaccompanied homeless youth" has the same meaning as in RCW 43.330.702;
(c) The number of new units available and affordable for homeless families by housing type;
(d) The number of homeless individuals identified who are not offered suitable housing within thirty days of their request or identification as homeless;
(e) The number of households at risk of losing housing who maintain it due to a preventive intervention;
(f) The transition time from homelessness to permanent housing;
(g) The cost per person housed at each level of the housing continuum;
(h) The ability to successfully collect data and report performance;
(i) The extent of collaboration and coordination among public bodies, as well as community stakeholders, and the level of community support and participation;
(j) The quality and safety of housing provided; and
(k) The effectiveness of outreach to homeless persons, and their satisfaction with the program.
(((4))) (5) Based on the performance of local homeless housing programs in meeting their interim goals, on general population changes and on changes in the homeless population recorded in the annual census, the department may revise the performance measures and goals of the state homeless housing strategic plan, set goals for years following the initial ten-year period, and recommend changes in local governments' plans.
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