State Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, is pushing to eliminate the prioritization of low barrier homeless shelters over other types of homeless housing, including sober living shelters.
“Sober living clients should be put first in line for our public resources,” Walsh said in a press release. “But often unintentionally, they are put at the back of the line for help. We’ve got to fix that.”
Sober living facilities are alcohol- and drug-free housing for people who are recovering addicts or are looking to abstain.
Low barrier homeless shelters have limited entry requirements. This approach offers access to shelters without requiring proof of sobriety, or enrollment or completion of substance abuse treatment, according to a press release from Walsh. The low barrier homeless services often prioritize shelter for people who are actively using drugs, or abusing alcohol, over those choosing to abstain. Often low barrier services allow people to continue behavior that is illegal, like abusing drugs.
The goal of Walsh’s proposed amendment to the Washington Housing Opportunities Act, currently on the floor of the House of Representatives, is to level the playing field for facilities when applying for grants from the state Department of Commerce, according to a press release from Walsh.
“To prioritize low barrier and no barrier homeless shelters over sober living homeless shelters creates a perverse incentive, whereby, the people running the shelters will often seek market share by seeking clients in order to expand their low or no barrier shelters,” Walsh said. “They do this to gain additional resources and greater growth of their operation at the expense of assisting sober living clients. Many times, these are women with children just trying to get back on their feet.”
