(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the apple health and homes program is established to provide a permanent supportive housing benefit and a community support services benefit through a network of community support services providers for persons assessed with specific health needs and risk factors.

(a) The program shall operate through the collaboration of the department, the authority, the department of social and health services, local governments, the coordinating entity or entities, community support services providers, local housing providers, local health care entities, and community-based organizations in contact with potentially eligible individuals, to assure seamless integration of community support services, stable housing, and health care services.

(b) The entities operating the program shall coordinate resources, technical assistance, and capacity building efforts to help match eligible individuals with community support services, health care, including behavioral health care and long-term care services, and stable housing.

(2) To be eligible for community support services and permanent supportive housing under subsection (3) of this section, a person must:

(a) Be 18 years of age or older;

(b)(i) Be enrolled in a medical assistance program under this chapter and eligible for community support services;

(ii)(A) Have a countable income that is at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, and determined annually by the federal department of health and human services; and

(B) Not be eligible for categorically needy medical assistance, as defined in the social security Title XIX state plan; or

(iii) Be assessed as likely eligible for, but not yet enrolled in, a medical assistance program under this chapter due to the severity of behavioral health symptom acuity level which creates barriers to accessing and receiving conventional services;

(c) Have been assessed:

(i) By a licensed behavioral health agency to have a behavioral health need which is defined as meeting one or both of the following criteria:

(A) Having mental health needs, including a need for improvement, stabilization, or prevention of deterioration of functioning resulting from the presence of a mental illness; or

(B) Having substance use disorder needs indicating the need for outpatient substance use disorder treatment which may be determined by an assessment using the American society of addiction medicine criteria or a similar assessment tool approved by the authority;

(ii) By the department of social and health services as needing either assistance with at least three activities of daily living or hands-on assistance with at least one activity of daily living and have the preliminary determination confirmed by the department of social and health services through an in-person assessment conducted by the department of social and health services; or

(iii) To be a homeless person with a long-continuing or indefinite physical condition requiring improvement, stabilization, or prevention of deterioration of functioning, including the ability to live independently without support; and

(d) Have at least one of the following risk factors:

(i)(A) Be a homeless person at the time of the eligibility determination for the program and have been homeless for 12 months prior to the eligibility determination; or

(B) Have been a homeless person on at least four separate occasions in the three years prior to the eligibility determination for the program, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months;

(ii) Have a history of frequent or lengthy institutional contact, including contact at institutional care facilities such as jails, substance use disorder or mental health treatment facilities, hospitals, or skilled nursing facilities; or

(iii) Have a history of frequent stays at adult residential care facilities or residential treatment facilities.

(3) Once a coordinating entity verifies that a person has met the eligibility criteria established in subsection (2) of this section, it must connect the eligible person with a community support services provider. The community support services provider must:

(a) Deliver pretenancy support services to determine the person’s specific housing needs and assist the person in identifying permanent supportive housing options that are appropriate and safe for the person;

(b) Fully incorporate the eligible person’s available community support services into the case management services provided by the community support services provider; and

(c) Deliver ongoing tenancy-sustaining services to support the person in maintaining successful tenancy.

(4) Housing options offered to eligible participants may vary, subject to the availability of housing and funding.

(5) The community support services benefit must be sustained or renewed in accordance with the eligibility standards in subsection (2) of this section, except that the standards related to homelessness shall be replaced with an assessment of the person’s likelihood to become homeless in the event that the community support services benefit is terminated. The coordinating entity must adopt procedures to conduct community support services benefit renewals, according to authority standards.

Findings—Intent—Short title—2022 c 216: See notes following RCW 74.09.885.