Housing and homelessness advocates urge full backfill of document‑recording fee and continued shelter funding

Housing providers, homelessness advocates and local officials told the Appropriations Committee they were relieved to see the governor’s proposal backfill a portion of the document‑recording fee shortfall but urged a fuller response to avoid widespread cuts to homelessness services.

The governor’s proposal backfilled the decline in document‑recording fee revenues with roughly $258 million in general fund, which Nona Snell said in her overview would maintain consolidated homeless grants and shelter operations. Several witnesses, including Michelle Thomas of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance and Samuel Martin of the Washington Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy, said the state still faces a document‑recording gap (testimony cited figures in the $250–$403 million range for shortfalls) and urged the Legislature to fully backfill the shortfall to preserve programs statewide.

Haley Willis of the Seattle‑King County Coalition on Homelessness and other speakers warned that without sustained funding, shelters and youth services could close and that unsheltered populations would rise. Advocates also pressed for continued funding for the state’s right‑of‑way encampment resolution program, citing high placement and housing‑retention rates and asking that the Governor’s proposed funding not be limited only to people already housed but be available to respond to new encampments.

The testimony combined statewide advocates, local service operators and county officials calling for an approach that preserves shelter capacity and homelessness prevention investments, and for the Legislature to consider progressive revenue options to avoid deeper cuts.

Ending: Advocates asked the committee to protect homelessness funding in the final budget and to consider additional revenue options to sustain services.