This bill would add a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW creating a new legal requirement for grantees and subgrantees that receive funding for transitional or permanent supportive housing. It directs the (unnamed) department to impose assessment and treatment compliance requirements: every person housed in those programs must be assessed for a substance use disorder, and any person assessed as having a substance use disorder must comply with all substance use treatment recommendations and abstain from alcohol and unprescribed drugs as a condition of remaining eligible for housing. This is a new statutory requirement that conditions housing eligibility on assessment and treatment compliance. The bill also requires grant recipients to enter and track each participant in the Washington homeless client management information system (per RCW 43.185C.180) and to report annually to the department. Required HMIS data elements include date of assessment, whether the participant was determined to have a substance use disorder, services being provided, whether the participant is actively participating in treatment, and whether the participant was discharged from housing for noncompliance. Grantees must submit a report by December 1, 2026, and by each December 1 thereafter, summarizing the number of participants served, the number assessed as having a substance use disorder, and the length of time each participant complied with treatment and conditions. The text provided does not identify which specific department is responsible, does not define key terms used (such as “transitional or permanent supportive housing,” “substance use disorder,” “unprescribed drugs,” or what it means to “comply”), and does not include enforcement mechanisms, penalties, appeals, confidentiality protections, or the specific new section number. The bill identifier and procedural context are H-2799.1, House Bill 2370, 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session, referred to the Committee on Capital Budget; it was prefiled 01/09/26 and read the first time 01/12/26.

If enacted, organizations that receive state funding to operate transitional or permanent supportive housing will have to assess every person they house for a substance use disorder, require those who screen positive to follow all treatment recommendations and to abstain from alcohol and unprescribed drugs to stay eligible for the housing, and record specific assessment and treatment-compliance information in the state homeless client management system. Practically, that means grantees and subgrantees will take on new frontline responsibilities and likely more administrative work to perform assessments, monitor treatment participation and abstinence, document whether someone is discharged for noncompliance, and submit an annual report each December (starting December 1, 2026) with counts of participants served, how many were assessed with a substance use disorder, and how long each complied with treatment and conditions. Program participants face a higher risk of losing housing if they do not follow treatment recommendations or abstain as required. Key implementation details are unclear from the text provided: the specific state department that will set and enforce these requirements is not named, key terms (like what counts as supportive housing, a substance use disorder, or “comply”) are not defined, and the bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms, appeals, or confidentiality and privacy protections for the treatment and assessment data. Those gaps could affect how strictly providers must enforce the rules, how participant rights are protected, and what additional costs or legal risks providers and residents will actually face.