S ile tz N e w s
Programs
Page3
Siletz Indian Housing Authority
Tribal housing plan adopted
BY CONNIE HOFFMAN
SIHA Director
The Tribal Council formally
adopted the Tribal Housing Plan
on March 23, 1998. This plan is
required by the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act (NAHASDA)
and governs the expenditure of
the Indian Housing Block Grant
(IHBG) funds which the Tribe is
due to receive this year.
We have been notified by the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) that
the amount o f the block grant for
our Tribe this year is $3,049,103.
The block grant replaces the
operating subsidy that we have
been receiving from HUD for the
operation -of our Rental and
M utual Help programs, the
development grants that we have
received to build new housing,
and the amounts that we have
received to operate our Section 8
Program. The block grant amount
is determined by a formula which
is based on the needs of all Indians
in our 11-county service area, as
well as by the number of HUD
housing units (including Section 8)
that w e r e . in existence as of
9/30/97.
We are still receiving some
HUD funds for Section 8 and our
housing plan commits the Tribe to
supplementing these with block
grant funds so that we can
continue to operate our Section 8
program at its current level. > .
We are in the process of
submitting our Housing Plan to
HUD. They will have 60 days to
review it before releasing the
funds, so we are looking at early
summer before we will be able to
access the block grant funds.
In addition to continuing our
present programs; we plan to use
113KD© W e s ie a H e l a e e e IP a c e a n t
The Pow-Wow Committee is now
accepting applications for the
1998-1999 Pow W ow Royalty Pageant
This is for fem ale Tribal members from the
ages of seven to twenty-four.
The categories are as follows:
Little Miss Siletz — ages 7 to 12
Junior M iss Siletz — ages 13 to 17
Miss Siletz — ages 18 to 24
For more information or to pick up the applications,
contact Craig S. W hitehead at:
(541) 444-8230 or 1-800-922-1399
or stop by m y office at the Siletz Tribal
Administration Building in Siletz.
The pageant will be held on Thursday,
August 6, at the Siletz Tribal Community
Center.
The candidates will be judged on their poise,
knowledge of family and Tribal history, speaking
ability, and their dance ability in the Feather Dance and
Inter-Tribal Dance.
the block grant funds to expand
down payment assistance to Tribal
Members and also to establish an
Emergency Housing Program to
serve Tribal Members throughout
the service area and beyond.
The Tribe has more flexibility
for use of the block grant funds
than we did with the HUD grants
that have been received in earlier
years. A substantial amount of the
block grant funds are budgeted for
support of the law enforcement
program, which is essential for the
protection of our residents. Block
grant funds are also budgeted to
support the Transitional Living
Center, shelter for victims of
domestic violence, Silatchee Park
Resident Organization, handi
capped accessibility, and water,
sewer, and street improvements.
Our Housing Plan also covers
the HUD grants that we received
in 1996 and 1997 for the 20 homes
to be built on the Dickenson
property in Siletz. The Housing
Board has approved the design
and floor plans for these homes
and we hope to be able to go out to
bid by summer.
We also are in the midst of
preparing specifications for a
HUD-funded repair and improve
ment project for the 54 Mutual
Help homes, which will include
new roofs, fencing, floor covering,
street lighting, and other improve
ments. We plan to put this out to
bid by late May.
Anyone who would like a copy
of the Housing Plan as approved
by Tribal Council, contact the
Housing Authority Office.
A team of Tribal officials and
staff worked for most of the past
year preparing the plan. The team
included Tribal Council Members
Lillie Butler and Reggie Butler,
Tribal
Accountant
Naomi
Shadwick, Programs Manager
Frank Petersen, HIP Coordinator
Howard Roy, and myself.
Important news regarding
veterans health benefits '
If you are a veteran, have a family
member who is a veteran, or know
somebody who is, this news may
be of some interest to you or them.
Please feel free to pass it along.
President Clinton has recently
signed info law a bill that affects
all veterans. This law states, in
effect, that if a veteran has not
registéred at a Veteran Affairs
Hospital since October 1, 1996,
then on October 1,1998 he or she
will lose all VA médical benefits for
life. To make it worse, the VA
cannot notify veterans about it.
That
information
m ust
be
disseminated via word of mouth.
Tom Todd from US West
Veterans* Association called the
local VA. office and found out this
information is true.
The VA recommended that
everyone eligible for benefits come
by their office and sign up prior to
the October 1 deadline, regardless
of whether they have received
treatment at a VA hospital since
October 1, 1996. This way no one
will slip through the cracks.
You will need to bring your
DD-214 to youy local VA office and
it will only take about five minutes
to complete the form. This will
maintain your veterans benefits. If
you cannot locate your DD-214, go
to the VA office and they can help
you obtain a copy.
To register or for more informa
tion, please call the McMinnville
office at (503) 434-7503; the
Portland VA Medical Center at
1-800-949-1004, ext. 55300; or the
Portland VA office at 1-800-827-
1000. You can also check on the
Internet at: www.va.gov.