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 The state Right of Way Safety Initiative is helping people move out of dangerous roadside encampments and into shelter with wraparound services. Pictured is an abandoned campsite plot at Camp Hope, and a room at The Catalyst where 100 former Camp Hope residents are now sheltered.
Gov. Jay Inslee visited Spokane on Monday to tour The Catalyst, a new housing facility that opened this week and will house more than 100 residents of the encampment known as Camp Hope.
The opening of Catalyst followed Washington State Department of Commerce’s announcement last week about funding for an additional six projects in Spokane that will provide a total of 376 shelter and housing beds available for efforts to close Camp Hope. Currently, there is not enough shelter and housing available in Spokane to accommodate the now 416 people at Camp Hope.
During the past two legislative sessions, legislators have approved historic new investments to expand supportive services to people experiencing homelessness and add nearly 4,000 new housing and shelter units across the state. This included first-time funding for rapid supportive housing. The Legislature also included funding for a new Right of Way Safety Initiative to help transition people who are living in unsafe encampments along state highways. State agencies are working with local and non-profit partners in Spokane, Snohomish, King, Thurston and Pierce counties.
People can sign up for updates about the state’s efforts to close Camp Hope: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/subscriber/new?topic_id=WADOT_706.
The Inslees and incarcerated women enjoy a holiday tradition of decorating the governor's mansion in Olympia for the holidays.
Women from Washington Corrections Center for Women helped Gov. Jay Inslee and first spouse Trudi Inslee decorate the governor’s mansion for the holiday season. The group hung wreathes, strung boughs, and set up stockings with the Inslees and corrections officers from the state Department of Corrections.
Horticulture instructors and students from Tacoma Community College participated as well.
The occasion is a tradition for the WCCW, and a way to spread holiday cheer while supporting their mission to positively transforming the lives of incarcerated men and women.
 Gov. Jay Inslee previewed behavioral health legislative and budget proposals Friday at the site of a future behavioral health training hospital at the University of Washington. The hospital is expected to begin phased operation by June 2024.
Gov. Jay Inslee visited the site of the University of Washington's new behavioral health training facility, which will offer 150 psychiatric beds and train generations of behavioral health care professionals. Inslee proposed the hospital in 2018 as one part of the state’s efforts to transform Washington’s behavioral health system.
“We have been building and adding capacity all across the state, but here’s the hard reality — even with the progress we’re making, demand for services is growing faster than we are keeping up,” Inslee said. “We must continue full funding for facilities like this, shore up our workforce, and address the underlying causes driving up demand for certain services.”
The governor previewed a bevy of behavioral health legislative and budget proposals to expect in the upcoming legislative session. Proposals include intensive services for youth, funding for forensic hospitals and community facilities, workforce investments, specialized community services, competency restoration enhancements, and more.
Data breaches, ransomware attacks break new records
The number of data breaches reported to state Attorney General’s Office in 2022 more than tripled any prior record. Cyberattacks, ransomware attacks, and data breaches have all accelerated dramatically since the pandemic began. More than 6.3 million Washingtonians received notices that their data may have been involved in a breach. A list of known data breaches is published to the Attorney General’s website.
EBT card theft and fraud increasing
The state Department of Social and Health Services has noted a trend of increasing debit, credit, and EBT card scams nationwide. DSHS is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate fraud, and encourages Washingtonians to protect heir payment methods and personal account information. Contact DSHS to report stolen EBT cards immediately, and additionally contact law enforcement if you are the victim of fraud.
Stricter identification requirements for plane travel delayed
The federal government's deadline to require REAL ID standards for travel by air has been delayed to May 7, 2025. Washington state standard driver licenses do not meet REAL ID requirements. To fly domestically or internationally after May 2025, Washingtonians must upgrade to an enhanced driver license or use other REAL ID-compliant forms of identification.
Former Seahawk Doug Baldwin to join governor's Clemency & Pardons Board
The governor's Clemency & Pardons Board considers commutations of sentences and pardoning of offenders and, in some instances, restoration of the right to engage in political office. Ex-Seattle Seahawk Doug Baldwin was selected to serve on the board, continuing a history of engaging with the governor about clemency and sentencing.
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