Helping families find homes and stay in their homes

Three housing bills clear the Senate in the first week of session

OLYMPIA – Senate Democrats offered a preview of their robust housing security package for 2008 by passing three pieces of legislation in the first week of session to help families find homes and stay in their homes.

Senate Bill 5959 expands eligibility for the Transitional Housing Operating and Rent (THOR) to provide housing services to hundreds more homeless individuals and families, tripling the biennial appropriation to $15 million. It also codifies the program in state statute; currently, the program exists only as a biennial budget appropriation.

In 2006, 1,358 families received THOR services. Of the 471 families who exited the THOR program in 2006, seventy-four percent achieved permanent housing, according to Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, who sponsored the legislation.

The THOR program “addresses the homelessness issue in, I think, one of the most effective ways we can,” said “It’s an excellent program.”

SB 5959 passed unanimously today on the Senate floor.

More info on SB 5959

Senate Bill 6272 provides education and counseling for new homebuyers and those facing foreclosure.

Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, prime sponsor of the legislation said that while Washington has not yet succumbed to falling home prices and mortgage defaults on a mass scale, our state is not immune for danger.

“We don’t want to risk Washington joining the rest of the nation in the problems that citizens are encountering,” Berkey said.

Washington came in 21st in the nation in foreclosure activity for the month of November. The 2,473 foreclosures in November 2007 represent a 72 percent increase over the amount of foreclosures in November 2006.

SB 6272 provides homeownership pre-purchase outreach and education services for families about to buy a home, as well as post-purchase counseling and support services for those facing foreclosure to help prevent them from losing their home. The bill would serve an additional 2,500 families.

SB 6727 passed unanimously today on the Senate floor.

More info on SB 6727

Senate Bill 6335, sponsored Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, is a $6 million emergency appropriation to provide stable housing and supportive services for an additional 1,000 homeless families through the Washington Families Fund.

“The Families Fund is a vibrant private-public partnership between the state and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and numerous other charitable foundations,” said Prentice.

Since 2004, WFF has been able to leverage at least a 1:1 match from private contributions, bringing to total fund to $11.6 million to date, according to Prentice.

Funds are distributed to non-profit housing agencies through competitive grants to increase comprehensive and individualized case management services for families who are or could soon be homeless throughout our state. Those funds, however, have already been allocated, and the fund has been drawn down to zero, prompting the emergency appropriation provided by SB 6335.

SB 6335 passed unanimously today on the Senate floor.

More info in SB 6335

Return to Sen. Hargrove's home page

Return to Sen. Berkey's home page

Return to Sen. Prentice's home page