OLYMPIA – The Senate passed legislation to encourage the siting of emergency shelters, transitional housing, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing (also called STEP housing) on Wednesday.
Unreasonable and restrictive standards imposed on the construction of STEP housing have limited the amount that can be developed across the state, in turn limiting the effectiveness of one of the tools necessary to help solve Washington’s housing crisis.
“This policy builds on the important housing work the legislature has done over the last few years,” said Peterson. “Housing is housing, and everyone in our community deserves a safe place to lay their head”.
House Bill 2266, sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, clears the way for more of this type of housing to be built by setting statewide standards for developing STEP housing. Under this bill, cities must largely follow the same standards for STEP housing siting that they would for residential housing or lodging. Certain accommodations are made to allow cities to reasonably request operations plans and avoid certain areas by working with developers to find appropriate siting.
The Senate passed House Bill 2266 with 29 of 49 votes, bringing the bill one step closer to the Governor’s desk, only needing the House to concur with some minor changes to the original proposal. The last day of the 2026 legislative session is March 12.