Advocates from all over Washington will sound a gong 5,043 times to draw attention to homelessness and key homelessness funding legislation ESHB 2368.

Gong Action Details

At the north steps of the Legislative Building, people will take turns ringing a gong exactly 5,043 times to recognize the 5,043 individuals found sleeping outside at night across the state during the January 2013 point-in-time count. This number also represents the number of homeless people on the streets because shelters are full. But the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness is likely higher because people sleeping outside tend to hide for their safety.

Press Conference Details

We are also holding a press conference to draw attention to House Bill 2368, aka the “Homeless Housing & Assistance Surcharge Bill” or “Document Recording Fee Bill.” This legislation eliminates the expiration dates of fees charged on real estate documents. The fee is set to reduce by $10 in July 2015 and reduce by another $20 in July 2017. This would wipe out 62.5% of total state funding for homelessness.

Then, effective homelessness programs across the state will experience severe cuts or will close. These surcharge fees fund shelters for domestic violence survivors, support programs for veterans, emergency extreme weather shelters, and even nationally recognized Camp Quixote (now “Quixote Village”) that is nationally recognized as a cost-effective and innovative model for fighting homelessness.

ESHB 2368 Status

ESHB 2368 had a hearing in the Senate Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance Committee (FIHI) on Tuesday, February 25. FIHI Co-chair Sen. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard, 26th LD) adjourned the committee without bringing the bill to a vote, despite vocal protests from both sides of the aisle. The next morning, Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Vashon Island, 34th LD) attempted a Ninth Order procedure to bring the bill back to the floor. Although this failed, legislators and community members know that bipartisan support and consistent statewide advocacy can bring this important bill back. According to Sen. Nelson,
“No one should face the dangerous and preventable hardship of life on the streets. If my fellow lawmakers do not pass HB 2368, over 50 percent of state funding for homelessness prevention will disappear. We must act now, because if we don’t our local communities will have to start implementing cuts in early 2015 which means emergency winter shelters, domestic violence, and youth shelters will all face cuts in the height of winter.”

Other Media Contacts for Quotes

• Doreen Marchione, Kirkland Deputy Mayor – 425.922.4109 & dmarchio@kirklandwa.gov (For inquiries on how East King County would be effected by the fee sunsets).
• Greg Winter, Whatcom Homeless Service Center Director – 360.255.2091 & greg_winter@whatcomhsc.org (For inquiries on how Whatcom County would be effected by the fee sunsets).
• Nick Federici, Housing Alliance Lobbyist – 360.481.1936 & nickfederici@gmail.com (For inquiries on legislative procedures.)
• Additional state & county contacts available upon request.

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You can download this press release here.