TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
TLC Attitudes of Gratitude
Business and You!
by Lynn Whitlow
by Rosie Suffìcool, STBC Business Information Counselor and
S.T.A.N. Coordinator
We were grateful to have a fireplace
and a supply of wood, plus some will
ing kindling cutters to take the edge
off the chill. What we are all very grate
ful for is the even, consistent warmth
from the new furnace and heat pump!
We are thankful to Naomi Shadwick
for helping us with a grant application.
It sure is nice to have help from the
experts! There are unnamed heroes
from the Tuesday night NA group who
brought up and stacked wood during
the cold spell. Thanks all of you!
Our volunteers are “tops” with us.
Thanks to Alice McCain, Levi Simmons,
and Stephanie Rilatos. You are so ap
preciated! Thanks for supporting your
community needs.
We need more volunteers. Call me if
you are interested or just have questions
about what it entails - 541-444-8238
or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238.
Sometimes we take good things for
granted and forget to be grateful until
circumstances change or until we learn
that someone else or somewhere else
has it much worse than we do.
At the TLC, we had what we con
sidered very chilly days and nights.
Then we heard about those folks in
upstate New York, near the Great
Lakes, who have had to contend with
between eight and 12 feet of snow and
extremely low temperatures.
Somehow we felt pretty fortunate
to be living here! At least we didn't
have to call in the National Guard to
shovel us out of our houses and keep
our roofs from collapsing. That is a big
thing to feel gratitude about.
Another “biggie” for us at A&D/
TLC is the installation of a new furnace
that works! The old one was prodded
and cajoled by the furnace “doctors” for
many months. They tried, really hard,
to revive it but that was not to be.
Elder Council Meeting
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
March 10, 2007
Chinook Winds Golf Resort
I
%.
'
:
.
'
■
;
' ■
'
?
" ' '
-
'
,
'
'
'
’ •
?
■ ..
...
-
'
•
'
'
:
How Does Your Business Measure Up?
If you are a new business owner,
all of the responsibilities you are trying to
Are your display shelves arranged
•
juggle to make your business succeed.
in a way that makes it easy for cus
You may be spending most of your
time trying to build up your customer
tomers to see your products?
Are your shelves arranged in a way
•
base so you can pay your bills.
that makes it easy for customers to
One thing many new business own
walk around?
ers often overlook is the way their busi
•
Is your landscaping in good condition ?
ness looks to potential customers.
•
Is the sidewalk outside your busi
You might offer great products or
services, excellent prices and customer
service, but unless your business “looks
ness in good repair?
•
Does your business entrance look
inviting?
good,” many customers won’t even
give you a try.
A business owner can do many
things to make sure his or her business
makes a great “first impression” on new
customers. Here are some suggestions:
•
Is your store or shop as clean as it
•
could be?
Are the windows and windowsills
•
/
inside and outside of the business?
you’re probably a bit overwhelmed by
Although as a business owner you
go in and out of your business each
day, you may not really “see” what a
potential customer who comes in for
the first time might be seeing.
Take some pictures of your busi
ness on both the inside and outside,
take them home, and really look at what
your customers are seeing.
clean?
■
Do you have sufficient lighting both
•
Is the outside of your building in
By taking a good look at your busi
good repair?
ness, you might find you can do a tew
•
Is your signage attractive and easy
simple things to make your business
more attractive.
•
to read?
Are the areas around your entrance
clean and well-kept?
to make a “good first impression!"
,
For more information, please contact Angela Ramirez
1-800-922-1399, ext. 1225; 541-444-8225; or angelar@ctsi.nsn.us
Remember, you only have one chance
Personal Finance and Real Estate
bv Yvonne Messmer, Housing Finance Manager, 503-390-9494 or toll free 1-888-870- 9051
•
2.2 million subprime home loans
If you are overburdened with debt:
•
Do I have money saved for a down
Down Payment
made in recent years have already
payment?
Assistance Program
failed or will end in foreclosure.
•
Do I have the ability to pay a mort
Talk to your creditors - They may
•
These foreclosures will cost delin
This tribal program provides up to
gage every month, plus additional
be able to help reduce the payment
quent homeowners as much as
$15.000 in down payment and closing
costs?
amount or give other allowances.
cost assistance to qualifying below-
$164 billion.
Make small and regular payments
median income households and lever
•
Nearly one in five (19 percent)
If you answered yes to these ques
- The way to clean up your credit
subprime mortgages originated
ages other private funding.
tions, then you might be ready. Give
is
through
a
very
slow
process.
Tribal members can apply to the
during the past two years will end
me a call to find out about the Down
Stop
buying
more
stuff
-
Do
not
Down Payment Assistance Program
in foreclosure.
Payment Assistance Program and how
make
any
major
purchases,
such
as
(DPA) at any time. Applications will be
it can help you!
cars, houses, furniture, etc.
processed on a first-come, first-served
Delinquencies are much more
basis. The tribe does not charge a fee
common for subprime loans. The re
Think bankruptcy is the way to
for application or use of the DPA Pro
Subprime Mortgages May cipients. of course, are less credit wor
clean up your credit? Think again!
gram. however, there are costs associ
thy to begin with. And lenders charge
If you are having financial trouble
Mean
Vulnerability
to
ated with the purchase of a home.
these borrowers at higher rates, which
and you want to clean up your credit,
Foreclosure
DPA is awarded in the form of a for
increases the likelihood that they'll
use bankruptcy as your last resort. Bank
givable loan as evidenced by a recorded
by Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff have trouble making payments.
ruptcy is not a quick fix - it's a very
trust deed against the subject property.
Another factor is that lenders of
writer, originally published Dec. 20, 2006
big hole out of which it’s hard to climb.
ten load up subprime loans with high-
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -
Filing bankruptcy will:
risk provisions, setting up borrowers
How Do I Know If I’m
The number of homeowners with sub
to fail. Some of these include: adjust
prime mortgages who will lose their
• Not improve your credit
Ready to Buy a Home?
able interest rates, balloon payments,
• Increase the interest rates of any fi
homes to foreclosure will jump over
You can find out by asking your
prepayment penalties, and limited
nancing you get for years after
the next few years, according to a re
self some questions:
documentation requirements.
• Increase your insurance rates
cent study.
•
•
•
•
Do I have a steady source of in
come (usually a job)?
Have I been employed on a regular
basis for the last two or three years?
Is my current income reliable?
Do I have few or no outstanding
debts (like car payments)?
In addition to all this, filing bank
ruptcy may cause trouble for you when
applying for a job and for rental hous
ing. Some employers and landlords
review credit reports as a part of their
application process.
A release from the Center for Re
sponsible Lending (CRL), a non-profit,
non-partisan research and policy orga
nization advocating for homeowner
ship and family wealth, revealed three
key findings:
If you are one of the unfortunate ones
who got caught up in subprime lend
ing and are having difficulty making your
house payment now. call Yvonne at
503-390-9494 or toll free 1-888-87O-9O5I.
She may be able to help you.
March 2007
•
Siletz News
•
7