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Housing advocates urge state to limit sweeps as federal funding faces changes
Summary
Speakers said the state should act to prevent local sweeps of people experiencing homelessness and prepare for possible federal HUD funding cuts, pointing to bills that would require communities to allow shelters and permanent supportive housing.
Advocates at a Seattle panel urged Washington lawmakers to step in to limit local enforcement actions against people experiencing homelessness and to prepare for changes in federal funding.
Michelle Thomas of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance said the state has a role in preventing sweeps and that bills will be reintroduced to address the issue. "Yes, absolutely, 100% — the state has a role in preventing the sweeps of people experiencing homelessness across the state," she said, adding that a bill introduced last year (referenced as House Bill 1380 in the discussion) will return in a new form.
Thomas warned that recent federal proposals affecting HUD coordinated-entry funding could be costly for Washington. "Washington state risks losing over a $100,000,000 per year in homelessness funding for permanent supportive housing, for shelter, for rental assistance," she said, characterizing the potential loss as 'dire' and urging state planning for contingencies.
Sen. Jessica Bateman said the state should consider collective responses and noted previous bills (including a STEP bill identified in the discussion as House Bill 1195) designed to require cities to allow transitional and permanent supportive housing. She said such measures may resurface in the next session.
Karl Strader of the Association of Washington Cities cautioned that many cities lack shelter funding and siting capacity; he urged clearer intergovernmental approaches to funding and locating shelter so that local ordinances are not applied when communities lack alternatives.
Jan Heimbaugh of the Building Industry Association of Washington said his association does not lead on homelessness policy and cautioned against funding mechanisms that could increase housing production costs, such as payroll taxes; he emphasized the need to pair any regulatory changes with resources for shelter and supportive housing.
Panelists named several bills and policy levers to watch, and they urged state-level planning to avoid uneven local practices. The discussion closed with a call for funding clarity and legislative consideration of bills intended to protect shelter siting and reduce arbitrary sweeps in jurisdictions without adequate alternatives.
