BILL REQ. #:  H-4073.1 

Read first time 01/21/2004.   Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.

     AN ACT Relating to housing-based support services for homeless families; amending RCW 43.20A.790; reenacting and amending RCW 43.79A.040; adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that homeless families who have access to supportive services, such as counseling, employment support and job training, health care treatment and programs, parenting skills education and training, child care, and transportation assistance, are more likely to achieve housing stability than families without access to those services. The legislature finds that linkages between supportive services and transitional housing must be strengthened in order to provide homeless families with the necessary skills and supports to sustain stable housing as they transition out of homelessness. However, the unpredictable nature of current service funding limits new housing development and puts existing programs for homeless families at risk.
     The legislature finds that the sound families initiative in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties provides a successful model of combining public funding and private support for services and housing for homeless families. Recent outcomes of the sound families initiative include increased work activity and increased income levels among households eligible for the federal temporary assistance for needy families program who were provided housing-based supportive services. A strong partnership between private resources and public services can greatly increase the successful transition of homeless families to stable housing and employment.
     The legislature further finds that in order to make the public-private model work statewide, an ongoing stable source of service funds is essential. State funds could provide the catalyst for significant private contributions that would spur development of housing-based support services statewide. Where there is a strong public-private partnership to support the provision of services, as is the case with the sound families initiative, the return on the investment of public funds far exceeds that initial expenditure. With a one-time investment in housing-based supportive services for homeless families that is supplemented and sustained with ongoing private investments, the long-term availability of resources for those families can be ensured.
     Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to create, and make an initial investment of state funds in, a homeless families services fund that will leverage private resources and thereby ensure the long-term availability of stable housing to support homeless families throughout the state.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Advisory board" means the homeless families services fund advisory board established under this chapter.
     (2) "Department" means the department of community, trade, and economic development.
     (3) "Director" means the director of community, trade, and economic development.
     (4) "Fund" means the homeless families services fund established under this chapter.
     (5) "Homeless family" means a family that is eligible for services funded through the emergency shelter assistance program carried out within the department of community, trade, and economic development.
     (6) "Program" means the homeless families services fund program established under this chapter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   There is created within the department of community, trade, and economic development the homeless families services fund program to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   (1) There is created in the custody of the state treasurer an account to be known as the homeless families services fund. The fund shall include a one-time appropriation by the legislature, private contributions, and all other sources.
     (2) Expenditures from the fund may only be used for the purposes of the program established under this chapter, except for administrative expenses.
     (3) Expenditures from the fund are exempt from appropriations and the allotment provisions of chapter 43.88 RCW. However, money used for program administration by the department is subject to the allotment and budgetary controls of chapter 43.88 RCW, and an appropriation is required for these expenditures.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   (1) The homeless families services fund advisory board is hereby established to advise the department in the design and administration of the fund. The director shall provide staff and administrative support to the advisory board in carrying out the provisions of this chapter.
     (2) The advisory board shall consist of nine members to be appointed by the governor, as follows:
     (a) A representative of the department of social and health services;
     (b) A representative of the regional support networks;
     (c) A representative of a local housing authority that provides federal section 8 vouchers to homeless families, and which primarily serves a rural population;
     (d) A representative of a local housing authority that provides federal section 8 vouchers to homeless families, and which primarily serves an urban population;
     (e) An individual with expertise in the design or evaluation of service delivery to homeless families;
     (f) An individual with expertise in the provision of supportive services to homeless families;
     (g) An individual with expertise in the development and operation of low-income housing, including housing set aside for homeless families; and
     (h) Two individuals with expertise in private philanthropy.
     (3) Members of the advisory board shall serve terms of four years and may be appointed for successive terms of four years. The governor may stagger the terms of the initial members of the board so that approximately one-fourth of the members' terms expire each year. The advisory board shall select a chair from among its members.
     (4) Members of the advisory board shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   Duties of the advisory board shall include the following:
     (1) Recommending criteria for determination of grant allocations from the fund, which shall include, but need not be limited to:
     (a) Guidelines for the amounts of allocations of grants from the fund, taking into consideration the variation in housing market and services costs throughout the state;
     (b) Guidelines for the minimum amount of matching funds that an applicant to the fund must secure in order to qualify for a grant from the fund;
     (c) Criteria that an applicant to the fund must meet in order to demonstrate that the proposed housing and services are financially viable and meet quality standards;
     (d) Necessary qualifications and capacity of an applicant to the fund; and
     (e) Guidelines for geographic distribution of funds from the fund in order to foster development of supportive housing statewide;
     (2) Reviewing applications to the fund and making recommendations to the director on the allocation of grants from the fund;
     (3) Recommending performance and outcome measures for recipients of grants from the fund;
     (4) Recommending an evaluation method for the homeless families services fund program; and
     (5) Working with housing authorities, community-based service and housing providers, or other applicants to the fund to identify additional sources of revenue for the fund.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   (1) The department shall use funds from the fund and other legislative appropriations to provide state matching funds for housing-based supportive services for homeless families over a period of at least ten years.
     (2) Services funded through the homeless families services fund shall be coordinated with existing and available services and shall not duplicate any other state-funded services available to homeless families assisted through the fund. The fund shall not be used to supplant existing funding.
     (3) Activities eligible for funding through the fund include, but are not limited to, the following:
     (a) Case management;
     (b) Counseling;
     (c) Referrals to employment support and job training services and direct employment support and job training services;
     (d) Domestic violence services and programs;
     (e) Mental health treatment, services, and programs;
     (f) Substance abuse treatment, services, and programs;
     (g) Parenting skills education and training;
     (h) Transportation assistance;
     (i) Child care; and
     (j) Other supportive services identified by the department to be an important link for housing stability.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   Organizations that may receive funds from the fund include local housing authorities, nonprofit community or neighborhood-based organizations, public development authorities, federally recognized Indian tribes in the state, and regional or statewide nonprofit housing assistance organizations.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   The department shall work with recipients of grants from the fund to monitor the effectiveness of the homeless families services fund program. Areas of performance monitoring shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
     (1) Increases in housing stability for assisted homeless families;
     (2) Increases in economic self-sufficiency of assisted homeless families;
     (3) Increases in independent living skills of assisted homeless families; and
     (4) Decreases in costs of state-funded services and income support for assisted homeless families.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   (1) The department shall report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2004, with a preliminary plan for implementation of this chapter.
     (2) The department and the advisory board shall thereafter report on an annual basis to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature regarding the status of applications to and grant allocations from the fund and performance of the program.

Sec. 11   RCW 43.20A.790 and 1999 c 267 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall collaborate with the department of community, trade, and economic development in the development of the coordinated and comprehensive plan for homeless families with children required under RCW 43.63A.650, which designates the department of community, trade, and economic development as the state agency with primary responsibility for providing shelter and housing services to homeless families with children. In fulfilling its responsibilities to collaborate with the department of community, trade, and economic development pursuant to RCW 43.63A.650, the department shall develop, administer, supervise, and monitor its portion of the plan. The department's portion of the plan shall contain at least the following elements:
     (a) Coordination or linkage of services with shelter and housing;
     (b) Accommodation and addressing the needs of homeless families in the design and administration of department programs;
     (c) Participation of the department's local offices in the identification, assistance, and referral of homeless families; and
     (d) Ongoing monitoring of the efficiency and effectiveness of the plan's design and implementation.
     (2) The department shall include community organizations involved in the delivery of services to homeless families with children, and experts in the development and ongoing evaluation of the plan.
     (3) The department shall coordinate with the department of community, trade, and economic development in supporting the work of the homeless families services fund program established pursuant to section 3 of this act. As part of its coordination efforts, the department shall work with organizations receiving grants from the homeless families services fund to identify and coordinate the provision of services offered by the department that meet the goals of the homeless families services fund program.
     (4) The duties under this section shall be implemented within amounts appropriated for that specific purpose by the legislature in the operating and capital budgets.

Sec. 12   RCW 43.79A.040 and 2003 c 403 s 9, 2003 c 313 s 10, 2003 c 191 s 7, 2003 c 148 s 15, 2003 c 92 s 8, and 2003 c 19 s 12 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury.
     (2) All income received from investment of the treasurer's trust fund shall be set aside in an account in the treasury trust fund to be known as the investment income account.
     (3) The investment income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasurer's trust funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasurer or affected state agencies. The investment income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (4)(a) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the investment income account to the state general fund except under (b) and (c) of this subsection.
     (b) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The Washington promise scholarship account, the college savings program account, the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account, the agricultural local fund, the American Indian scholarship endowment fund, the students with dependents grant account, the basic health plan self-insurance reserve account, the contract harvesting revolving account, the Washington state combined fund drive account, the Washington international exchange scholarship endowment fund, the developmental disabilities endowment trust fund, the energy account, the fair fund, the fruit and vegetable inspection account, the game farm alternative account, the grain inspection revolving fund, the juvenile accountability incentive account, the law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' plan 2 expense fund, the local tourism promotion account, the produce railcar pool account, the rural rehabilitation account, the stadium and exhibition center account, the youth athletic facility account, the self-insurance revolving fund, the sulfur dioxide abatement account, the children's trust fund, ((and)) the investing in innovation account, and the homeless families services fund. However, the earnings to be distributed shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
     (c) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The advanced right of way revolving fund, the advanced environmental mitigation revolving account, the city and county advance right-of-way revolving fund, the federal narcotics asset forfeitures account, the high occupancy vehicle account, the local rail service assistance account, and the miscellaneous transportation programs account.
     (5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no trust accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 13   The sum of fifteen million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the homeless families services fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, to carry out the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 14   Sections 1 through 10 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.