SB 5702 — Expanding the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth pilot program.

ENGROSSEDS-1173.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5702 State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session By Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development (originally sponsored by Senators Trudeau, Nobles, Dhingra, Hunt, Liias, Lovelett, Nguyen, Pedersen, Saldaña, Valdez, and C.

Wilson)Wilson READRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 02/17/23.02/06/23.

Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, ((thethe college board shall select eight college districts, with no less than four located outside of the Puget Sound region to participate in a pilot))((pilot)) each community and technical college may implement a program to provide assistance to students experiencing homelessness and to students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school.

The ((collegecollege districts chosen to participate in the pilot((pilot)) program)) community and technical colleges participating in the program must provide certain accommodations to these students that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(e) Access to technology;

1 ESSBSB 5702 (e)(f) Access to technology;short-term housing or housing assistance, especially during seasonal breaks;

(f) Access to short-term housing or housing assistance, especially during seasonal breaks;

(2) The ((collegecollege districts))districts community and technical colleges may also establish plans to develop surplus property for affordable housing to accommodate the needs of students experiencing homelessness and students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school.

(3) The ((collegecollege districts))districts community and technical colleges participating in the ((pilot)) program shall leverage existing community resources by making available to students in the ((pilot)) program information that is available for individuals experiencing homelessness, including through not-for-profitnot-for- profit organizations, the local housing authority, and the department of commerce's office of homeless youth.

(4) SubjectThe tocollege thedistricts availabilityparticipating ofin amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the college((pilot)) boardprogram shall administerannually provide a grantjoint programreport to providethe grantsappropriate tocommittees establishof partnershipsthe betweenlegislature community((by)) andin technicalaccordance collegeswith andRCW public43.01.036 housingbeginning authoritiesDecember or1, nonprofit2023, communitythat organizationsincludes toat designleast andthe administerfollowing ainformation: subsidized housing or housing voucher program for Washington college grant eligible students.

For the initial round of grants, priority must be given to colleges and public housing authorities or nonprofit community organizations that have previous experience partnering to administer a housing voucher or subsidized housing program.

(5) The ((college districts participating in the pilot program)) community and technical colleges participating in the program shall annually provide a joint report to the appropriate committees of the legislature ((by)) in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 beginning December 1, 2023, that includes at least the following information:

p.(c) Strategies for accommodating students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and former foster care students;

2and ESSB(d) 5702Legislative (c)recommendations Iffor participatinghow instudents theexperiencing granthomelessness programor underfood subsectioninsecurity, (4)and offormer thisfoster section:care students could be better served.

(i)(5) The designcollege ofdistricts thenot housingselected voucherto orparticipate subsidizedin housingthe program;((pilot)) program are:

(ii) The number of students served;

(iii) The types of housing offered to students;

and (iv) The average out-of-pocket cost for housing for students in the grant program.

(d) Strategies for accommodating students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and former foster care students;

and (((d))) (e) Legislative recommendations for how students experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, and former foster care students could be better served.

(((5) The college districts not selected to participate in the pilot program are:

and (b) Encouraged to submit the data required of the pilot((pilot)) program participants under subsection (4) of this section, regardless of participation status.

(6) The((The pilot program expires July 1, 2024.

(7)p. This section expires January 1, 2025)) (6) For purposes of this section, "program" means the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program.

2 SB 5702 (7) This section expires January 1, 2025)) For purposes of this section, "program" means the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, ((thethe council shall select four public four-year institutions of higher education, two on each side of the crest of the Cascade mountain range, toand participate in a pilot)) each public four-year institution of higher education and the tribal collegecollege, mayto implementparticipate in a ((pilot)) program to provide assistance to students experiencing homelessness and to students who were in the foster care system when they graduated high school.

The ((four-yearfour-year institutions of higher education and the tribal college chosen to participate in the pilot))((pilot)) program must provide certain accommodations to these students that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

p.(d) Reduced-price meals or meal plans, and access to food banks;

3 ESSB 5702 (d) Reduced-price meals or meal plans, and access to food banks;

(4) The four-year institutions of higher education and the tribal college participating in the ((pilot)) program shall annually provide a joint report to the appropriate committees of the legislature ((by))p. in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 beginning December 1, 2023, that includes at least the following information:

3 SB 5702 ((by)) in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 beginning December 1, 2023, that includes at least the following information:

(5) ((TheThe four-year institutions of higher education not selected to participate in the pilot((pilot)) program are:

and p.(b) Encouraged to submit the data required of the ((pilot)) program participants under subsection (4) of this section, regardless of participation status.

4(6) ESSB((The 5702 (b) Encouraged to submit the data required of the pilot program participantsexpires underJuly subsection1, (4)2024. of this section, regardless of participation status.

(6) The pilot program expires July 1, 2024.

54 ESSBSB 5702