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Governor Inlsee and lawmakers have made it clear that homelessness is a top priority for the short 2020 legislative session that starts Monday. Republican State Sen. Steve O鈥橞an agrees, but says to truly address the issue, Washington must step up to help those most in need: Those often referred to as “prolific offenders.”

Homelessness, transportation funding top lawmakers鈥� priority list for 2020

鈥淲e have a number of individuals who are out in the community [dealing with] serious mental illness — we see them all, they鈥檙e disoriented, they鈥檙e talking to themselves, they come in contact with law enforcement, they have long rap sheets, sometimes dozens and dozens of crimes they鈥檝e been charged with, but they are not able to prosecute them for one reason or another,鈥� O鈥橞an said.

He鈥檚 talking about those who fall through the cracks between the criminal justice and behavioral health and human services systems, commonly known as prolific offenders.

鈥淲e have a gap in the services we provide to those with significant mental illness or drug addictions,鈥� explained O鈥橞an. 鈥淚f someone is an imminent threat to themselves or others legally you can put them in an in-patient setting on an involuntary basis but once they no longer meet that definition they鈥檙e released but that doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e well, it just means they鈥檙e not an imminent threat. So, how do you deal with these individuals?”

O鈥橞an believes he has the answer with a bill that creates a new form of guardianship.

鈥淪omeone that would be appointed by a city or county to oversee mental health care or drug treatment for an individual who fits into this category, so they can no longer refuse services,鈥� he explained.

would create a pilot program for King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties, specifically targeting this small group of the homeless population, and similar to .

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 originate in my mind; it鈥檚 actually now being piloted in California of all places, so this isn鈥檛 a plan coming from some red state. This is San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego that are dealing with the same kinds of hard-to-treat individuals, and they know they need a tool like this because without it, no care is really going to be meaningfully provided,鈥� said O鈥橞an, a strong advocate for behavioral health care.

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There is already strong support among many Republicans, but Democrats at last week鈥檚 AP legislative preview had not had a chance to see the bill yet, and were reluctant to weigh in, but Seattle Democratic Rep. Nicole Macri did offer some brief thoughts.

鈥淚n my experience, which is quite vast, I have found that forced treatment typically is not very durable over time,鈥� Macri explained.

But O鈥橞an believes lawmakers critical of the idea will change their minds when this gets a hearing, which he expects it will.

鈥淚鈥檝e talked to a couple of providers and they say this is exactly what we need,鈥� O鈥橞an said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this will be a heavy lift once policy makers hear from providers.鈥�