OLYMPIA – Residents in Washington’s northeast counties would get help preparing their homes to withstand wildfires through a fund set up to help the homeless.

The House unanimously passed a bill that allows four counties – Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille – to use money collected from the $40 fee charged to record documents to educate homeowners about wildfire risks and prevention measures.

The fee goes into a fund to help the homeless. Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, said wildfires in recent years have prompted major evacuations from fire zones and left hundreds homeless. Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, called it a good plan to prevent homelessness by prevent losses from wildfires.

A separate bill, also approved unanimously, calls for state agencies to use different management practices on state-owned lands to make them more resistant to fire and possibly serve as fire breaks in catastrophic wildfires.