Bill > HB1708

This bill aims to help local governments create a standardized online dashboard to provide comprehensive information about homelessness in their jurisdictions. The Washington State Department of Commerce would be responsible for contracting a computer application that cities and counties can use to display detailed annual data, including housing needs and gaps, housing assistance expenditures, service provider funding, addiction treatment statistics, crime rates near unsheltered communities, emergency service calls, illegal narcotic arrests, transitions out of homelessness, cleanup costs, and the number and location of homeless encampments. The bill recognizes the significant financial investment by state and local governments in addressing homelessness and seeks to increase transparency by creating a user-friendly, consistent method for local jurisdictions to share information about their efforts to address housing insecurity. The municipal research and services center would be tasked with annually assembling and publishing the dashboard information for all counties and cities on its website, and the department of commerce would collaborate with various state and local agencies to implement the program.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1708&Year=2025&Initiative=false