State Advocacy

Building Changes 2012 Legislative Priorities

Priority Item

In 2012, Building Changes focused its staff and board resources on promoting the following legislative priority:

• Protect State Homeless Funding and Ten Year Plan Implementation (Home Security Fund): The Home Security Fund includes a variety of homelessness programs such as the Transitional Housing, Operating, and Rent Assistance (THOR) program, Emergency Shelter and Homeless Prevention Program (ESHP), Independent Youth Housing, and several smaller, but no less vital programs. The Home Security Fund generates $30 million per biennium, 60%of which is administered by the county which allows programs to be tailored to meet the specific local need. Due to a downfall in the number of real estate transactions being filed with the counties (the Home Security Fund’s dedicated revenue source) there is expected to be a $19 million gap by 2015 in commitments vs. actual funding available. The Washington Legislature should address this gap, and ensure the Home Security Fund’s solvency going forward by renewing and expanding the document recording fees that are dedicated to the Home Security Fund. Advocacy Partners: Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Committee to End Homelessness in King County, Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence.

Support Items

Building Changes staff and board shall also publicly share its support of the following priorities:

• Continued Support for the Housing Trust Fund: The Housing Trust Fund is Washington’s primary tool for ensuring access to housing for working families and vulnerable individuals in our communities. Since 1989, the Housing Trust Fund has invested more than $600 million in new and improved housing, leveraged more than $3 billion in private and public sector support, and has increased the stock of affordable housing by more than 35,000 units across the state. Advocacy Partner: Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.


• Differential Response in the Child Welfare system: Differential Response is an approach in which reports of parental maltreatment that do not involve serious threat of imminent harm are viewed by the Child Welfare system as a moment for engaging families in services rather than using investigative protocols in those non-serious instances. We believe it is possible that the families whose issues are resolved through a differential response model may also be the same families who experience transitional or short-term homelessness. For such families, short-term rental or financial assistance combined with other tailored services based on level of need may be the catalyst that is needed to prevent homelessness before it starts, prevent future maltreatment, and prevent children from entering the foster care system. Rigorous evaluations of differential response models in other jurisdictions have demonstrated that the integration of a non-investigative approach within child protective services can yield positive outcomes for children and families, social workers, and community partnerships and reduce long-term costs to child welfare agencies- without endangering the child. Advocacy Partners: Children’s Home Society of Washington, The Mockingbird Society.


• Preserve the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program: The Housing and Essential Needs program (formerly Disability Lifeline) provides housing assistance and for tens of thousands low-income persons who are physically or mentally disabled and unable to work for more than 90 days. The program can provide support in the form of rent and utility assistance, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies and transportation in the form of bus passes. There are no cash benefits available. Under the former Disability Lifeline program, fifty thousand people per year relied on Disability Lifeline to pay rent, cover critical medications, and pay for basic needs. Advocacy Partners: Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Community Health Network of Washington.


• Support further implementation of the Fostering Connections Act: More than 29,000 children nationwide "age out" of the foster care system each year without achieving permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. Many of these youth wind up homeless. The Fostering Connections Act provides continued support to youth aging out of foster care to prevent homelessness and provide access to education: The Fostering Connections Act would provide housing for foster youth ages 18 to 21 who are pursuing a high school education or General Educational Development (GED). Currently, the state is only able to draw down federal funds for 18- and 19-year olds who are enrolled in high school or the equivalent. Advocacy Partners: Children’s Home Society of Washington, The Mockingbird Society.