BILL REQ. #:  H-3938.2 

READ FIRST TIME 02/05/14.   

     AN ACT Relating to creating a temporary homeless status certification; adding a new section to chapter 43.185C RCW; 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 that the lack of a permanent address is a barrier to employment for some people who experience homelessness in this state. The legislature intends to create the homeless status certification pilot program to study an approach that facilitates access to employment for persons who lack a permanent address due to their homeless condition.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 43.185C RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department must establish a pilot program to provide a certification of homeless status for persons who may need a physical or mailing address for purposes of employment. The department must choose one county within which to implement the program, based on the support of local homeless housing and service providers, community leaders, and businesses willing to partner with the department. The program may be implemented countywide, or within a city or other specific region of the county.
     (2) To develop this program, the department must:
     (a) Establish a homeless status form that requires sufficient information to verify a person's homeless status and to provide the address and location of a homeless housing or service provider to be used as the person's own address;
     (b) Develop a procedure for collecting and maintaining the information provided on the homeless status forms, either centrally through the department or through one or more local homeless housing or service providers participating in the program;
     (c) Convene regular meetings with homeless housing and service providers, community leaders, homeless persons, and businesses interested in implementing the program. The initial meeting should take place no later than December 31, 2014, and should include an agenda for creating the program and defining the responsibilities of the persons, entities, and organizations that are interested in implementing the program; and
     (d) Gather and analyze data on the different phases of the program implementation.
     (3) By December 1, 2016, the department must submit a report to the appropriate legislative committees that includes the number of persons who filed a homeless status form, the number of persons who obtained employment with use of the certification, the involvement of partners within the community in implementing the program, and an evaluation and recommendation of the opportunities and impediments for expanding the program statewide. The evaluation and recommendation should include input from statewide homeless housing and service provider networks and business associations.
     (4) This section expires June 30, 2017.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Nothing in this act may be construed to create an entitlement to services or to create judicial authority to order the provision of services to any person if the services are unavailable or sufficient funding has not been appropriated for this program.