In a response to Martin v. Boise and the proliferation of unlawful encampments, a recently proposed bill intends to require cities over 50,000 to establish and operate full-service overnight emergency shelters, complete with police presence.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Phil Fortunato (R-Auburn), would establish an act titled SHELTER: Serious Homelessness Engagement Leads to Effective Results. His proposed substitute bill, SB 5107, would certainly have serious impacts on the cities it affects. The bill requires:

• Every county and every city with a population of more than 50,000 to establish and operate an overnight shelter;
• Each shelter to provide—and require its guests to use—employment, mental health, and drug counseling services;
• Each shelter to be a high barrier shelter, prohibiting the use and possession of alcohol and illegal drugs;
• That police be present during operating hours; and
• Each city and its county coordinate to provide enough beds to meet the last point-in-time count of homeless individuals in their jurisdiction.

To fund this significant cost, the bill would allow the shelters access to Housing Trust Funds dollars but does not appear to add a new source of revenue to the fund.

Date to remember

The substitute of SB 5107 will be heard on Wednesday, February 3 in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee at 10:30 am.