S-1125.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5082
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senate Human Services (originally sponsored by Senators C. Wilson, Bateman, Cleveland, Cortes, Frame, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Liias, Lovelett, Nobles, Orwall, Salomon, Trudeau, Valdez, and Wellman)
READ FIRST TIME 02/06/25.
AN ACT Relating to creating a housing assistance program for youth enrolled in extended foster care; adding a new section to chapter 74.13 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 13.34 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that approximately 13 percent of young people in extended foster care experienced homelessness in state fiscal year 2024. To obtain housing, many young people who are dependent at age 18 are required to exit extended foster care to access certain federal housing vouchers and thereby lose the support of extended foster care.
Accordingly, the state is unable to leverage existing resources, including federal benefits, as young people use up their eligibility for time-limited federal programs while they simultaneously decline other programs needed for long-term success. Statutory changes are required to ensure dependent young people in extended foster care are stably housed as they prepare for independence.