Bill would ban homeless camps within 1,000 feet of schools statewide

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A recently introduced Senate bill would ban homeless encampments within 1,000 feet of schools.

Senate Bill 5332 was discussed during a Senate Local Government, Land Use, and Tribal Affairs hearing on Tuesday. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Curtis King (R - Yakima).

“It’s a relatively simple bill, but I think it has great impacts upon keeping our children safe,” Sen. King said during the Senate committee hearing on Tuesday. “I would also point out that yesterday, or Sunday I guess it was, there was a fire in Magnolia at a school. They believe (it was) caused by a homeless person at an encampment near this school.”

The fire Sen. King referred to occurred on Feb. 13 at Catharine Blaine K-8. A man was arrested after starting a fire on school property. Fire damage was limited, but smoke damage was significant enough that classes were canceled the following Monday.

Seattle police stated the fire was related to an encampment.

SB 5332 would prohibit counties, cities, and towns from authorizing homeless encampments within 1,000 feet of a school or early learning facility. It would also ban encampments that exist due to “inaction” and are within 1,000 feet, according to the bill.

Opponents of the bill claim it would create more complications for people and families trying to get back on their feet.

“The ironic thing about this bill is that it ignores the fact that many, many young children in our state face homelessness,” Michele Thomas, a policy and advocacy director with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, said on Tuesday.

Statewide, 40,365 students were identified as homeless, according to a Washington Office of Public Instruction report from 2019.

Several religious leaders also spoke against SB 5332 claiming it would harm the work being done by local churches to help those who are unhoused.

“When someone’s parking close to a school so their kids can go — and we’ve met many folks like that — we don’t want them swept,” Reverend Bill Kirlin-Hackett with the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness said on Tuesday. “To be 1,000 feet distant from a school and so on would be…an undue burden on religious practice. This would be a giant step backward.”

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