OLYMPIA… With a unanimous vote Thursday, the Washington State Senate passed Senate Bill 5219, which would create a focus group dedicated to address housing issues for individuals at a high risk of being homeless. 

Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, sponsored the bill and said whether it’s an inmate being released from prison or someone with drug or mental health issues, there has to be a place for these folks to go. 

“With the state of Washington in its current economic crisis, there’s been talk of making drastic cuts to programs and services that help the state’s homeless population find temporary and permanent housing,” Carrell said. “My bill creates an all-volunteer focus group to comprehensively examine programs for individuals who are at a high risk of becoming homeless to identify and remove housing barriers for homeless individuals, review current programs and make recommendations for the future, and it can all be done with no cost to taxpayers.”