The state House passed a bill this week some local officials are hoping could help ease Southwest Washington’s affordable housing crisis.
The measure, House Bill 1570, would extend what’s known as the document recording fee. It’s one of the primary funding mechanisms for homeless services.
To record the deed after a home purchase, there is a $48 fee. Some of the fee is kept by local entities, some goes to the state. But all of it is dedicated toward homeless services.
A significant portion of the fee is set to expire in 2019.
The measure that passed the House would remove the sunset date and allow local counties and cities to increase the fee.
Kate Budd with the Council for the Homeless said it’s great news for Clark County.
It not only means the opportunity to sustain the current documenting fee dollars, she said, but provides the possibility of a $4 million boost in funding over time.
“We’re excited to see this hurdle surpassed,” Budd said on Friday.
Andy Silver with the Council for the Homeless told The Columbian previously that the bill passing is one of his group’s biggest priorities.
“In Clark County, only 37 percent of people who need emergency shelter, including kids, receive it right now,” he said. “Only 18 percent of people who are homeless receive assistance.”
And those that do receive assistance, he said, are less likely to re-enter the homeless system.
One of the people who voted against the bill was Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver.
Harris was a champion of Proposition 1, the property tax increase to help with affordable housing that Vancouver voters approved in November. But he said, he’s not a fan of the idea of removing the fee sunset in perpetuity or allowing the local jurisdictions to increase the fee as they see fit. He would like to see a sunset that is extended to every four or six years.
He also doesn’t like that the city can double the fee.
“In our area, (with Proposition 1) we’ve taken care of it,” he said of addressing homeless issues.
The surcharge is directed toward domestic violence programs, resources for youth and young adults who are living on the street, support to find permanent housing and emergency shelters, according to a release from the Washington House Democrats.
The measure now heads to the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
The Legislature is in the midst of a 30-day second special session, which is scheduled to adjourn on June 21.
