OLYMPIA—On Tuesday, February 18, the Washington House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at addressing the obstacles youth experiencing homelessness face when obtaining a Washington state identicard.
House Bill 2607, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah, will assist individuals experiencing homelessness up to 25 years of age obtain Washington state identicards. Providing an accessible pathway to obtain identification can be critical in helping them find housing and work.
“I have heard from youth who are experiencing homelessness and know obtaining an identification card is full of barriers, expensive, and time consuming,” said Callan. “It is imperative that we do more to help youth facing homelessness in Washington and this is a small step that will make a world of difference.”
The bill will better assist the youth in our state by reducing the cost of identification cards for qualified individuals. It will allow certain individuals serving youth to submit identicard application materials to the Department of Licensing on the youth’s behalf. The bill will now head to the Senate for consideration.