In 2015, the Legislature created the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs (OHY) within the Department of Commerce. OHY provides services for youth and young adults up to 24 years of age, including:

• the Independent Youth Housing Program (IYHP);
• street youth services;
• HOPE Centers; and
• crisis residential centers.

Crisis Residential Centers. Crisis residential centers (CRC) are short-term, semi-secure and secure facilities for runaway youth and adolescents in conflict with their families.  The administrator of a CRC is to:

• immediately notify the child's parent of the child's whereabouts, physical and emotional condition, and the circumstances around their placement;
• initially notify the parent that it is a priority to achieve a reconciliation between the parent and child;
• inform the parent whether a referral to child protective services has been made, and if so, inform the parent of the standard of child abuse and neglect;
• arrange transportation for the child to:
  1. the parent's home, when the child and their parent agrees to the child's return home or the parent produces a copy of a court order requiring the child to live in the parent's home; or
  2. an out-of-home placement or a certified or licensed mental health facility or chemical dependency program of the parent's choice; 
• notify parents and the appropriate law enforcement agency of any unauthorized leave from CRC by a child placed at the center; and
• notify the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) of any unauthorized leave from the center by a child who is in the care of or receiving services from DCYF.

Pursuant to Washington's statutes related to providing shelter to a minor, when licensed overnight youth shelters or other licensed organizations with a stated mission to provide services to homeless or runaway youth and their families knows that a child is away from home without parental permission, it must contact the youth's parents within 72 hours that the youth is admitted to the shelter unless a compelling reasons exists. A compelling reason includes, but is not limited to:

• circumstances that indicate that notifying the parent or legal guardian will subject the minor to abuse or neglect;
• when a minor is seeking or receiving protected health care services. Protected health care services means gender-affirming treatment and reproductive health care services as defined in state rule.

Housing Stability for Youth in Crisis. In 2022, the Legislature created the Housing Stability for Youth in Crisis pilot programs (HSYNC) for a period of three years. Subject to appropriation, OHY is to select, monitor, and provide funding and assistance for a minimum of six total counties that implement HSYNC. HSYNC pilot programs are to include the following components:

• regular trainings provided to all appropriate juvenile court staff regarding risk factors and identifiers for youth homelessness;
• an identification and referral system used throughout the juvenile court system where all appropriate court staff use routine data flags to identify youth at risk for youth homelessness and refer youth to the housing stability coordinator;
• a dedicated housing stability coordinator in each participating county that receives referrals, conducts housing stability assessments with youth and caregivers, connects youth and caregivers with relevant community providers based on assessments, and follows up on referrals;
• a model of homelessness prevention services that provides the appropriate amount of intervention based on the youth or family needs; and
• coordinated housing services for youth experiencing homelessness.

Community Support Team. The purpose of a community support team is to help identify supports for a youth focused on resolving family conflict and obtaining or maintaining long-term and stable housing. The community support team is required to prioritize reunification between the youth and the youth's family to the extent possible without endangering the health, safety, or welfare of the child. The community support team may not engage with a family member other than the youth if the parent, guardian, or legal custodian objects to the support or assistance that is offered or provided. A community support team must include the youth and may include: supportive adults identified by the youth, which may include: licensed shelter staff; a case manager; individuals from the youth's school; juvenile court staff; the youth's attorney; behavioral health providers; community support providers; family members; mentors; peer support; housing navigation; legal assistance; or other community members.

Independent Youth Housing Program. IYHP provides rental assistance and case management for young adults who aged out of foster care before the age of 18, to help secure stable housing and develop life skills to prevent homelessness, with support from DCYF.  When subcontractor organizations determine that it is necessary to assist the participating youth in accessing and maintaining independent housing, the subcontractor may also use moneys awarded to pay for professional mental health services and tuition costs for court-ordered cases. All housing stipends, security deposits, and first and last month's rent stipends are only payable to a landlord or housing manager of any type of independent housing. Administrative costs for each subcontractor organization may not exceed 12 percent of the estimated total grant amount. OHY's standard administrative fee is 15 percent. 

Crisis Residential Centers. If a compelling reason exists, the administrator of a CRC is not required to:

• immediately notify the child's parent of child's whereabouts; or
• notify a parent of any unauthorized leave from the CRC. 

Housing Stability for Youth in Crisis. HSYNC is renamed Housing Stability for Youth in Courts. HSYNC is not limited to six counties and the program does not expire.

Community Support Teams.  Language that prohibits the community support team from engaging with a family member other than the youth if the parent, guardian, or legal custodian objects to the support or assistance that is offered or provided is struck. 

Independent Youth Housing Program. IYHP subcontractors are to use awarded moneys for costs associated with providing transitional housing, among the other approved uses; housing stipends are not restricted to being payable to only the landlord or housing manager; and the administrative cap of 12 percent is struck. 

Grant funds distributed by the OHY to providers who serve homeless youth and young adults that are used to provide flexible financial assistance may be provided directly to eligible youth and young adults or a third-party vendor such as a landlord in order to promote the housing stability of the program participant.

Definitions and Technical Changes.  The following definitions and technical changes are made:

• a homeless youth adult under age 21 residing at a transitional living program for unaccompanied homeless youth at the time the young adult reaches the age of 18 may be considered a child for the purposes of continued placement in licensed group care;
  1. a young adult who is not a dependent is not considered a child for any other purpose;
• an emancipated minor may be considered a young adult for the purposes of eligibility for programs administered by OHY;
• streamlines the definition of homeless, which means without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime resident as set forth in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
• the term street youth is struck and replaced with unaccompanied homeless youth; and
• replaces references to the Department of Social and Health Services with DCYF.

Two references to the Department of Social Health Services are struck and replaced with DCYF.

The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard.  PRO: The OHY not only helps prevent homeless for young people but also supports them. In 2015, the Legislature created the OHY and in 2022 created the HSYNC pilot which has been successful in identifying youth at risk of homelessness who are system involved. There is no cost to this bill which is agency request legislation, which streamlines programs and diversifies the types of housing young people have access to and expands HSYNC statewide and removes its expiration date, and the language is more inclusive.  A lot of this bill is technical corrections; modifies statutory definitions, expands eligibility for some programs and provides administrative alignment. While technical in nature, the changes are substance to the population OHY serves.

Washington is unique in having an office in state government to prevent and end youth homelessness, an area where we've made great progress. It is essential that OHY has the tools to carry out its mission. From a youth perspective,  housing support is not a luxury it's an opportunity to heal and grow.

PRO: Senator Claire Wilson, Prime Sponsor; Gisella Gonzales, Team children; Jim Theofelis, NorthStar Advocates; Cacey Hanauer-Sutton, Dept of Commerce; Samuel Martin, Washington Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy; Alex Hur, Communities in Schools of Washington.