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Evergreen Ledger

SHB 1899

Signed

House

Homelessness point-in-time

Concerning the homelessness point-in-time count.

How does a bill become law?
  1. Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
  2. Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
  3. Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
  4. Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
  5. Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
  6. Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
Introduced: February 17, 2025
Last Action: April 24, 2025
Status: C 160 L 25
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AI Analysis

This analysis was generated by AI and may contain errors. It is not legal advice. Always refer to the official bill text for authoritative information.
People & CommunitiesPeople-leaningCorporate & Wealthy Interests

This bill requires the state to conduct an annual homeless point-in-time count consistent with federal standards, ensuring comprehensive and confidential data collection. It strengthens protections for vulnerable populations—especially survivors of violence and people with HIV/AIDS—and mandates public reporting of summary data by county.

  • Requires the Department of Commerce to conduct an annual Washington homeless census consistent with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) annual notice on data collection.
  • Mandates counting all people experiencing homelessness—including those in shelters, transitional housing, and outdoors—using methods aligned with HUD standards.
  • Requires confidentiality protections for all personal information collected, including strict rules against sharing identifying information about survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or people with HIV/AIDS status.
  • Prohibits asking housing providers to disclose personally identifying information about clients who are survivors of violence or abuse; allows only summary-level data from facilities or programs instead.
  • Requires the department to publish annual summary data by county and include it in the department’s annual updated homeless housing program strategic plan.

Who is affected

  • Local governments — Local governments (counties and cities) must coordinate with the state department to conduct the count and protect confidentiality of individuals counted, especially survivors of violence or abuse.
  • People experiencing homelessness — People experiencing homelessness are counted in the census, with special protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and those with HIV/AIDS status.
  • Homeless housing providers — Housing providers who serve people experiencing homelessness must follow strict confidentiality rules and are not required to share personally identifying information about clients who are survivors of violence or abuse.
  • State agencies (especially Department of Commerce) — State agencies, especially the Department of Commerce (which administers the count), must lead the count, ensure data confidentiality, and publish annual summary data by county.
Effective: July 1, 2025Fiscal impact: The bill does not specify new funding or cost impacts; it requires the Department of Commerce to conduct the count using existing resources and authority, though implementation of the online system and quality management system (previously included in older versions but removed in final text) may require additional resources not detailed here.
Model: Intel/Qwen3-Coder-Next-int4-AutoRoundGenerated: Mar 19, 2026 at 7:24 PM

Pro/Con Analysis

Stronger case for benefits

Potential Benefits (5)

  • Mandating annual, standardized point-in-time counts aligned with HUD standards will produce more reliable, comparable data to guide resource allocation and policy decisions—directly benefiting service planning for people experiencing homelessness, especially survivors of violence and people with HIV/AIDS, by ensuring interventions are evidence-based and targeted.

    Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Sec. 1(4)

  • Explicit confidentiality protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and people with HIV/AIDS prevent retraumatization, discrimination, and potential harm from data misuse—ensuring dignity, privacy, and trust in systems meant to serve them.

    Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 1(3)

  • Public reporting of county-level summary data increases transparency and accountability, enabling community oversight and advocacy—helping ensure that state and local resources are equitably distributed and that gaps in services for vulnerable subpopulations are identified and addressed.

    Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1(4)

  • Standardized data collection—including subpopulation breakdowns—will improve understanding of health-related homelessness (e.g., HIV/AIDS), enabling better-targeted public health responses and access to care, especially for people with chronic health conditions or disabilities.

    HealthcarePeopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Summary

  • While imposing coordination duties, the bill also provides a consistent, statewide framework that may reduce variability in counting methods across jurisdictions—potentially improving efficiency and data comparability for local planners and service coordinators over time.

    Local GovernmentPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Summary
Potential Concerns (3)

  • Mandating strict confidentiality for survivors of violence and people with HIV/AIDS may unintentionally deter some individuals from participating in the count due to fear of exposure or retraumatization, even with safeguards—potentially undercounting the most vulnerable populations and reducing data accuracy for targeted interventions.

    Public SafetyPeopleRef: Sec. 1(3)

  • The bill imposes new coordination and procedural burdens on local governments to conduct the count using existing resources, with no dedicated funding specified—potentially diverting staff time and resources from other high-need services like shelter operations or outreach.

    Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Summary

  • By requiring only summary-level data from housing providers serving survivors, the bill may limit the ability of service providers to tailor individualized safety planning or risk assessments—potentially reducing the effectiveness of protective measures for vulnerable clients.

    Public SafetyLean peopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Summary

Who Is Most Affected

People experiencing homelessnessPositive Impact

People experiencing homelessness—especially survivors of violence and those with HIV/AIDS—gain stronger privacy protections and more accurate representation in data-driven planning, which can lead to better-targeted services and reduced stigma.

Local governmentsMixed Impact

Local governments gain a standardized framework for data collection but face added administrative burdens without new funding—though improved data may ultimately support more effective and efficient resource allocation.

Homeless housing providersPositive Impact

Housing providers benefit from not being required to disclose identifying information about vulnerable clients, reducing legal and ethical risks—but may face challenges in aligning internal systems with new confidentiality protocols.

State agencies (especially Department of Commerce)Mixed Impact

The Department of Commerce gains authority and responsibility to lead a standardized, legally protected count, enhancing its capacity to inform policy—but must invest staff time and technical resources to implement the count without new funding.

Policy makers and advocacy organizationsPositive Impact

Policy makers and advocates gain reliable, county-level data that can drive evidence-based legislation and funding decisions—especially for violence prevention and health equity initiatives.