AN ACT Relating to the homeless; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the homeless population in the state has reached crisis proportions; that over fifty thousand persons were provided shelter through homeless assistance programs in the state; that the problems of the homeless exist in rural and urban areas of the state; that the number of homeless due to mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction has increased; that homelessness caused by job loss is an increasing segment of the homeless population; that existing federal, state, and local programs and activities for homeless individuals are sometimes provided in an uncoordinated manner, and that the provision of existing programs and activities in a coordinated manner would be a benefit to the homeless population.

The legislature further finds that the provision of services to homeless individuals would be enhanced if federal, state, and local resources were coordinated in an effective manner; that programs to assist persons who have become homeless due to loss of employment have prior job skills and are not hampered by debilitating addictions; that this group of homeless have the greatest potential to become self-sustaining members of our society; that by providing existing federal, state, and local services in a coordinated, comprehensive manner this segment of the homeless population could once again become self-sustaining members of society; and that access to existing federal resources for program development to assist homeless individuals would increase if technical assistance and grants were available to local service providers to be used as local matching funds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Department" means the department of community development.

(2) "Director" means the director of community development.

(3) "Task force" means the governor's task force on the homeless.

(4) "Nonprofit organization" means a public housing authority created under RCW 35.82.030 or a not-for-profit corporation as defined in RCW 24.03.005.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The governor's task force on the homeless is hereby created to consist of sixteen members, or their designees, as follows:

(a) The director of community development, the secretary of social and health services, the director of employment security, the director of veterans affairs, the director of general administration, and the superintendent of public instruction; and

(b) Ten representatives appointed by the governor from the public and private sector that represent emergency shelter, transitional housing, and support services to the homeless.

(2) The governor shall, within thirty days of the effective date of this section, appoint members of the task force. In making appointments, the governor shall consider obtaining a geographic distribution and balance throughout the state. The first meeting of the task force shall occur within forty-five days of the effective date of this section.

(3) The director of community development shall serve as chairperson of the task force.

(4) The department shall provide the necessary administrative and clerical assistance to the task force for the purposes of carrying out its powers and duties.

(5) Members of the task force shall be reimbursed for travel expenses under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The task force shall conduct a comprehensive examination of the issue of federal, state, and local services to homeless individuals. In conducting the examination, the task force shall:

(1) Review existing federal, state, and local activities and programs to assist homeless individuals;

(2) Study the need for a coordinated approach for services to assist homeless individuals within the state;

(3) Review data on the extent of the homeless population within the state of Washington; and

(4) Monitor and evaluate programs and activities by federal, state, and local agencies to assist homeless individuals.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The task force, based on its review and evaluation of the collected data, shall:

(1) Take such immediate actions as may be necessary to reduce duplication among programs and activities by state agencies to assist homeless individuals;

(2) Produce a report, for the governor and the appropriate legislative committees, on the extent and nature of homelessness in Washington state and recommend specific actions to be undertaken by the public and private sectors to address the problems of the homeless. The task force shall produce a final report by December 1, 1988;

(3) Advise the governor on critical issues which confront the homeless within the state and on proposed legislation pertaining to homeless programs and activities; and

(4) Recommend to the governor and the appropriate legislative committees a method for allocating state funds currently appropriated to the department that would best match resources to the needs of the homeless as identified in the task force report. To the extent this new method results in funds being reprogrammed from current allocations to areas of highest need, recommendations on how to best match these funds to available federal funds shall be provided.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The governor's task force on the homeless shall cease to exist on June 30, 1991, unless extended by law for an additional fixed period of time.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Subject to appropriation, the department shall:

(1) Encourage and facilitate homeless self-sufficiency by making grants to local governing bodies, or local nonprofit organizations, for the purpose of expanding or developing a coordinated comprehensive services approach for homeless individuals.

(2) Select up to five local governing bodies for the purpose of implementing homeless self-sufficiency projects. In selecting projects under this section, the department shall consider, but not be limited to:

(a) The ability of the project manager to coordinate the activities necessary in a job training and housing assistance program for the homeless; and

(b) The financial resources necessary to implement the project.

(3) Consider projects in awarding funds under this section that:

(a) Meet the highest needs of the homeless as identified in the task force report referenced in section 5 of this act;

(b) Expand and coordinate comprehensive services to homeless individuals to provide follow-up and long-term services to enable homeless individuals to make the transition out of poverty that includes, but is not limited to job skill training, housing assistance, child care, and health care;

(c) Provide assistance in obtaining social and maintenance services and income support services for homeless individuals; or

(d) Promote private sector and other assistance, including the potential to maximize federal assistance available through matching programs, to homeless individuals.

(4) In selecting projects under this section, to the extent feasible, provide for a geographic distribution of projects throughout the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. (1) Subject to appropriation, the department, working in cooperation with the employment security department, shall provide technical assistance and grants to local governing bodies and nonprofit organizations to increase their access to existing federal funds for services to homeless individuals. Grants may be made for the following:

(a) As part of a recipient's required nonfederal share of payments for the cost of the project; and

(b) Administrative costs when such grant will substantially increase the recipient's access to funds for the homeless other than those available under this chapter.

(2) Grants made by the department under this section shall not exceed fifty percent of the total project costs unless approved by the department.

(3) The employment security department shall have access to the funds under this section for the purpose of developing job training programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The director, with assistance of the employment security department, shall monitor the activities of recipients of grants under this chapter to determine compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in its application or stated by the department in connection with the grant.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. The department may receive such gifts, grants, and endowments from public or private sources as may be made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of this chapter and expend the same or any income therefrom according to the terms of the gifts, grants, or endowments.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. The director shall submit a report to the appropriate legislative committees of the senate and the house of representatives on the progress and status of the programs authorized in this chapter. The report shall include but need not be limited to the results of the individual projects funded, number of homeless individuals served, and recommendations for improvement of the programs authorized in this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. The department may adopt rules under chapter 34.04 RCW regarding the grant process and the substance of eligible projects, consistent with this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. If any part of this chapter is found to be in conflict with federal requirements which are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds, the conflicting part of this chapter is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of this chapter in its application to the agencies concerned. The rules under this chapter shall meet federal requirements which are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. This act may be known and cited as the homeless self-sufficiency act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 15. The sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the department of community development for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, to carry out the purposes of this act. This appropriation is subject to the following limitations and conditions:

(1) Not less than fifty thousand dollars for the purposes of sections 3, 4, and 5 of this act;

(2) Not less than three hundred thousand dollars for the purposes of section 7 of this act;

(3) Not less than one million one hundred thousand dollars for the purposes of section 8 of this act and for other costs of administering the homeless assistance grant programs, except that such other costs may not exceed one hundred thousand dollars.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 16. Sections 1 through 14 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 17. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.