House approves $55 million for homeless services in substitute Senate Bill 238

Representative Waldrop, sponsor of the House’s version of the homeless-services measure, told colleagues the bill "appropriates $55,000,000 to the homeless services" program and stressed that housing must be paired with wraparound services.

The measure addresses what Waldrop called a "significant crisis" in housing and aims to give people "a soft landing," with funds intended for housing plus additional supports. Waldrop said former president Niederhauser, now the state’s homeless coordinator, is working on a program to deliver both housing and those services.

During floor discussion, Representative Hawkins asked whether the $55 million shown in the bill was actually funded, noting he did not "see it highlighted in green on the board, which indicates that it has been funded." Waldrop replied the final funding amount was $55 million—reduced from an original request of about $128 million—and that the figure had been approved by the Executive Appropriations Committee.

Representative Strong moved Amendment 1 in Waldrop’s name to reflect the funding detail; speakers on the floor and fiscal analysts confirmed the funding was in place. The House adopted the amendment by voice vote.

The House then voted on the first substitute for Senate Bill 238. Voting closed with the bill passing the House 63 yes and 7 no. The bill will be returned to the Senate for further consideration.

The action sends the appropriation back across chambers and preserves the sponsor’s goal of pairing housing with services; next steps are Senate consideration and any final enrollment or conference work required if the Senate acts differently.