Proposed Washington House Bill 2489, per media, is “the Shelters Not Penalties Act, would require local governments to make an offer of ‘adequate shelter’ to people living in encampments before enforcing local camping laws.” The sponsor is quoted as saying “Criminalizing someone not breaking any laws other than seeking to survive when there is not adequate shelter available for them is not good for anyone, it doesn’t solve any problems.”Adequate shelter is defined as “does not require the individual experiencing homelessness to sacrifice any other right afforded to them under federal, state, or local law” and “is available to the individual experiencing homelessness at no cost on a continuing basis.”What this means is that a person can pitch their tent basically anywhere and can’t be removed unless they turn down an offer of space in a shelter that doesn’t require anything in terms of personal actions, i.e., sobriety/no-drug pledges while staying there. If those conditions are not available, that person is free to stay in their tent on the sidewalk, in a park or ballfield as long as they want, and can sue local governments if they are “forcibly moved.”Please ask your representative to vote no on this proposal since it drastically limits local governments’ response to the homeless problem, i.e., Everett’s “No-Sit, No-Lie” zones, as well as possible suspension of no-trespassing laws. Fabian BorowieckiEverett

Source: The Herald February 16, 2026 15:36 UTC