Dear neighbors,
I hope you all had a relaxing Labor Day weekend and are enjoying the cooler weather! Last month, I shared some of my priorities for the 2024 legislative session. One issue I plan to especially focus on is reducing youth homelessness. Currently, Washington’s policies assisting youth and young adult’s experiencing homelessness are one of the best according to a report from the National Homelessness Law Center. Despite the findings, it’s important to note that those rankings don’t reflect our success in preventing this issue from occurring in the first place.
A report published in June by the Department of Social and Health Services demonstrated that 15%, or about 1,100, of the over 7,000 young people leaving state systems (i.e., foster care, behavioral health treatment, juvenile justice system) were homeless one year later. This report also highlighted that minority and LGBTQ+ youth were overrepresented in the data. We cannot accept a systemic issue within our state systems that perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty and homelessness for minority communities. We must do more.
During the time I worked at the Oasis teen shelter and Cocoon House, it was obvious that no child chose to be homeless. One of my bills last year, House Bill 1406, built on this formative experience by helping unhoused youth remain in licensed shelters for up to 90 days if parents couldn’t be reached or didn’t request their return home. The legislation also helped vulnerable youth access vital resources. To better meet demand for services and shelter, I supported $30 million in funding for youth experiencing homelessness, and another $27 million dedicated to housing assistance and essential needs. Again, we need to do more.
In 2024, I plan to build off this progress to fully bridge the gap between state youth systems and stable housing. In the next couple of months, I will help bring together youth shelter service providers, state agencies, and other stakeholders to discuss how we can prevent youth homelessness for those exiting state systems. Since different counties and regions of the state have difference access to resources, it’s important that this issue is addressed with statewide coordination.
Five important strategies I look forward to advocating for are supporting youth diversion programs, establishing more rapid response teams, increasing funding for care grants and local shelters, and more effectively implementing and funding supportive services. Together, these five strategies can help youth avoid and exit the vicious cycle of homelessness and achieve housing stability for the long-term.
Share Your Priorities with Me
In my August e-newsletter, I shared a survey to hear from you about how we can improve our community. Thank you to everyone who took 1-minute to fill it out and help inform me about the issues that matter most to you. If you missed that survey and would like to complete it, I have included a link.
He incluido un enlace a una encuesta sobre sus prioridades legislativas para la próxima sesión legislativa. Your answers will help me plan for the 2024 session.
Please continue to stay engaged and actively participate in the public process by following my Facebook page, checking my website for upcoming events, and sending me an email. You can contact my office year-round.
In Service,
State Representative Julio Cortes