TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
Down Payment Program Funds
Available for Homes
The Siletz Tribal Housing Finance office in Salem has funds available for
down payment grants to first-time homebuyers. The process is relatively simple
and the time from application to funding can be very short for motivated buyers.
The program will grant up to 20 percent of the purchase price (maximum
$20,000) for use as a down payment on a home purchase. The tribal member is
required to live in the home for five years; at that point, the grant is forgiven.
The applicant’s total household income must be less than 80 percent of the
median income as determined by HUD. The limits imposed are adjusted by area.
The following are income limits that will apply in most areas:
Household
1
2
3
4
$30,450
$34.800
$39.150
$43,500
Household
5
6
7
8
$47,000
$50,500
$53,950
$57,950
Tribal members living in areas with a higher cost of living will have a higher
limit than those listed above.
For more information on the Down Payment Assistance Program, call the
Salem Finance office at 1-888-870-9051 or 503-304-4064. Staff includes Dave
Litchy, finance manager, and Bunni Snook, administrative assistant. Applications
are available at the Salem Finance office, the Housing Authority office in Siletz,
or at any area office.
Get a Home Improvement Loan
The Siletz Tribal Revolving Credit Program (STRCP) currently offers loans
to tribal members for home improvements.
Some possible uses are for a new roof, new siding, carpeting, room additions,
new furnace, appliances, and many others. The current interest rate is 7.75 percent
with repayment terms of up to 84 months.
For more information about the Home Improvement Loan Program, call
Dave Litchy at the Salem Finance office in Salem, toll-free at
1-888-870-9051 or 503-304-4064.
Are You Ready to Buy a Home?
Homebuyers often are plagued with anxiety. Home buying is something most
people do infrequently and the rules of the game are constantly changing.
The process involves making a huge investment, the biggest one most people
make in their lifetime. Some buyers fear they’ll make a huge mistake. Others
worry that they won’t find the right house for their money.
One way to lessen the uncertainty is to go about home buying just as you would
any other important business endeavor - in an organized and systematic fashion.
The first step is to make sure that buying a home is the right thing for you to
do at this time in your life. The answer to this will vary from one buyer to the
next and you may want to consult with a financial advisor before making this
important decision.
There are plenty of good reasons to buy a new home: you need more space, are
ready to put down roots, or need to live closer to work or to your children’s school.
But home ownership is not for everybody. If you don’t have job security or
you think you might be transferred soon, you probably should postpone buying
until later.
Once you decide you’re definitely in the home buying market, the next steps
are to line up financing, decide what you want in a home, and start looking.
Tribal Court
News
Kraus Joins
A&D Team
from the Office of Tribal Court
I would like to introduce myself,
Lori Kraus, as the newest addition
to the alcohol and drug treatment
team. I would like to thank everyone
I have already met for their warm
welcome and encouragement.
As part of this excellent team,
I’m excited to begin serving Siletz
Tribal members at the Eugene
area office.
I’m from the Midwest and have
roots in the plains of Colorado. I
attended college and training for
substance abuse counseling in
Kansas and Nebraska.
While in the Northwest, I
worked in residential treatment and
with court-mandated clients in an
intensive outpatient setting. All
together, I have about 10 years of
counseling experience.
I’m looking forward to the
challenges this position will offer
and to applying my experience and
skills in a new area. I’m also
interested in taking part in the
tribe’s prevention activities and
presenting information about fetal
alcohol effects.
Thank you again for this
opportunity and I’m looking forward
to meeting you.
January - March
Tribal Council has approved
the
Community
Law Court
Ordinance and the Community
Law Court Operations Manual.
Tribal Court judges and court
staff met on Feb. 9 in Siletz for
their first judges’ meeting of 2002.
Tribal Court DOJ grant update:
Getting to School Safely
The Five Key Dangers Kids Face
3. Low Bicycle Helmet Use
In 1999, 260 bicyclists age 5 to 18 were killed in crashes with motor
vehicles. The fatality rate for these
young bicyclists was nearly double
the rate for all bicyclists.
Most of the bicyclists
age 5 to 18 killed or
injured while riding were
boys (80 percent),
Children are more likely to
die from a bicycle injury
between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
(46 percent) than at any
other time of day.
Head injury is the
|
leading cause of death in
bicycle crashes and is the
J biggest cause of bicycle-
related
permanent kv
jj disability. More children
age 5 to 14 go to hospital
emergency rooms for
injuries associated with bicycles
than with any other sport.
This information is supplied by Norman Counts, Siletz Tribal Police Chief.
The other “Key Dangers Kids Face” will appear in subsequent issues of
Siletz News.
We were informed via e-mail that
we will be notified soon about
our application.
The deputy court clerk attended
ICWA training in Portland.
Three appeals involving the
2002 election were filed in
February. Two were scheduled for
hearing before Judge Gantenbein
on March 7 and one case was
scheduled for March 14. Cases are
pending decision of the court.
Tribal Court hosted a visit
from the Native American Law
Student Association
of the
University of Oregon law school.
They observed Tribal Court in
session and toured the court.
April 2002
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Siletz News
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