HomeMy WebLinkAboutres2007-040WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2007 -- 339
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Initial
Date
Date Received in Council Office
Agenda Date
Assi ned to:
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BB & WN
81212007
SM2O01
Council
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Dept. Head:
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Executive:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT.•
Resolution request to reinstate funding for High Risk Offender housing
A TTACHMENTS:
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Should Clerk schedule a hearing ? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Requested Date:
SUMMAR Y STA TEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing, you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate.
Be clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
Resolution requesting that funding assistance for High Risk Offender Housing be reinstated
COMMITTEE ACTION.
COUNCIL ACTION:
8/07/2007: Council Approved 6 -0
Caskey - Schreiber absent
Res. 2007 -040
Related County Contract #:
Related File Numbers:
Ordinance or Resolution
Number. Res. 2007 -040
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing
on the Coun 's website at: www.eo.whatcom.iva.us /council.
PROPOSED BY: Brenner, Nelson
SPONSORED BY: Consent
INTRODUCED: AUGUST 7, 2007
RESOLUTION NO. 2007 -040
REQUESTING THAT FUNDING ASSISTANCE FOR HIGH
RISK OFFENDER HOUSING BE REINSTATED
WHEREAS, as of June 30, 2007, the Department of Corrections (DOC) has
cut off housing funding assistance for "high risk" offenders, thereby jeopardizing
our community's public safety; and
WHEREAS, the reasoning given for discontinuing this funding was a legal
interpretation of financial liability and the passage of ESSB 6157 to take care of
future community network re -entry needs; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of this legislation is to improve public safety by
better preparing offenders while they are incarcerated and then continuing those
efforts for those recently released from prison or jail, for successful, productive,
and healthy transitions to their communities; and
WHEREAS, the Community Trade and Economic Development Department is
required to establish a housing assistance program, not to exceed 12 months, for
offenders reentering the community who are in need of housing and set up a
community transition coordination network grant program which will award grants
to counties or groups of counties for implementing coordinated reentry efforts for
offenders returning to community from prison or jails; and
WHEREAS, only two pilot counties out of 37 will be provided grants to
eligible organizations to provide housing assistance to offenders reentering the
community who are in need of housing and that they must be operated in
collaboration with a Community Justice Center; and
WHEREAS, Whatcom County does not qualify for a Community Justice
Center, even though it currently provides over 80% of the services within a one
mile radius of its DOC offices; and
WHEREAS, Whatcom County would not qualify for one of the two pilot
grants, even though it has successfully, on its own, piloted a housing network using
the one month rental assistance that was recently abolished to assist approximately
50 high risk offenders a year; and
WHEREAS, a Whatcom County program designed to safely house sex
offenders released from DOC facilities cost $17,854 for housing assistance for 14
individuals over a 15 month period; and
WHEREAS, without this program, DOC would have incurred $322,500 in
incarceration costs maintaining offenders until their maximum release date; and
WHEREAS, while only two of the 37 counties will receive grant awards, the
other 35 counties will receive no assistance and it will take years for all this to be
implemented, creating a public safety issue throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, ESSB 5157 addresses the issue of liability by exempting
landlords, state and local entities who provide housing assistance to offenders from
civil damages arising from criminal conduct of an offender solely due to the
placement of the offender in housing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Whatcom County Council
requests that Governor Christine Gregoire re- confer with the Secretary of the
Department of Corrections and the Attorney General's Office to consider reinstating
previous 90 -day housing assistance vouchers for "high risk" offenders.
APRA(Wr1Q,rthis 7th day of August , 2007.
Al WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Al 15y. :< = WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Da �Bro% :•H ;•tou� il Clerk Carl Weimer, Council Chair
APPRO�V�rl� T��kM :
Civil Deputy Prosecutor