TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
New Firewood Unit Opens
Veteran Information
by Margo Hudson
Home Modification
Programs
The VA has three main grant pro
grams to assist disabled veterans with
necessary home modifications.
Under the Home Improvements
and Structural Alternations Grant pro
gram, veterans with service-connected
disabilities or veterans with non-service-
connected disabilities can receive as
sistance for any home improvement
necessary for the continuation of treat
ment or for disability access to the
home and essential lavatory and sani
tary facilities.
A HISA grant is available to veterans
who have received a medical determin
ation indicating that improvements and
structural alterations are necessary or
appropriate for the effective and eco
nomical treatment of his/her disability.
A veteran can receive both a HISA
grant and either a SHA or SAH grant (see
below). The HISA program is available
for both service-connected veterans
and non-service-connected veterans.
Home improvement benefits up to
$4,100 may be provided to service-
connected veterans and benefits up to
$1,200 may be provided to non-service-
modifying an existing home to meet
their adaptive needs.
The SAH grant generally is used
to create a wheelchair-accessible home.
It’s currently limited to $50,()()().
The SHA grant is used to assist
veterans with mobility throughout their
homes. It’s currently limited to $ I (),()()().
For more information, call 1-800-
827-1000 or visit www.homeloans.
va.gov/sah.htm or www.va.gov.
Homeless Veterans
The VA has many benefits and ser
vices to assist homeless veterans. Dis
ability benefits, education, health care,
rehabilitation services, residential care,
and compensated work therapy are
among the services it offers to eligible
veterans.
The Acquired Property Sales for
Homeless Providers program makes
available properties VA obtains through
foreclosures on VA-insured mortgages
for sale to homeless provider organi
zations at a discount of 20 percent to
50 percent. Some of these properties
are available for lease.
For more information, call 1-800-
827-1 (XX) or visit www.va.gov/homeless.
Special Days
connected veterans.
You can apply for a HISA grant by
completing VA Form 10-0103, Veter
ans Application for Assistance in Ac
quiring Home Improvement and Struc
tural Alternations, and submitting it to
your local VA medical center.
The Specially Adapted Housing
Grant and Special Home Adaptation
Grant are for veterans with service-
connected disabilities. They may be
entitled to a grant for the purpose of
constructing an adapted home or
April 1
April 9
U.S. Air Force Day
National Former Prisoner of
War Recognition Day
May 12 Native American Rights Day
May 19 Armed Forces Day
May 28 Memorial Day
April is the Month of the Military
Child.
May is National Military Apprecia
tion Month, Navajo Code Talkers
Month, and National Family Month.
A new firewood area, located ap
proximately 9.3 miles from Logsden.
is expected to open by early April.
This unit, known as the North Fork
#2-North unit, has a mixture of fir, hem
lock. cedar, and hardwoods located in
decks at one landing.
Permits are required and can be
obtained at the Tribal Natural Resources
office in the administration building in
Siletz from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. week
days. Maps and directions also are
available at the same location.
Permits will be issued to tribal
members only, who will need to show
their tribal ID card and provide the li
cense number of the vehicle they will
use to haul the wood. Out-of-the-Siletz-
area woodcutters can call the numbers
below to have a permit mailed to them.
The permits are for tribal member
woodcutting for personal use only. This
firewood cannot be sold. The person
named on the permit must be present
when cutting and hauling the firewood.
Tribal members wishing to cut wood
for tribal elders must present a signed
note from the cider stating that the in
dividual is authorized to cut firewood
on their behalf. The note must include
the elder’s tribal ID number.
Permits are good for two weeks and
allow up to two cords of wood to be
cut on each permit. Each tribal mem
ber is allowed up to five cords total per
year from tribal firewood units.
The North Fork #2 unit may be
burned at any time to prepare for plant
ing, so get your firewood now.
For more information, stop by the
Natural Resources office or call Tribal
Forester Mike Kennedy at 541-444-8232
or 1-800-922-1399. ext. 1232.
Cut Wood for the Elders Day
The Tribal Natural Resources Com
mittee and Natural Resources Depart
ment will sponsor another “Cut Wood
for the Elders Day” on May 12. The
woodcut will be held at the old log yard
at the tribe's Toledo Mill property.
We need lots of volunteers to help
cut and split firewood for tribal elders.
Bring your chainsaws, hydraulic wood
splitters, splitting mauls, axes, and lots
of energy. Even if you don't have any
of those, we can use the moral support!
Lunch, drinks, and snacks will be
provided. We will meet at the tribal admin
istration building at 8 a.m. and caravan to
the mill. For anyone wishing to come
later, directions to the mill will be
posted on the front dœr of the building.
The goal of this event will be to
stockpile firewood for future delivery
to elders. Elders Coordinator Angela
Ramirez maintains a list of elders who
burn wood for their winter heat.
People willing to haul firewood to
elders outside of the Siletz area should
contact Angela at 1-800-922-1399, ext.
1225, or 541-444-8225 and she will pair
you up with an elder in need. We espe
cially need folks who can haul wood to
the Eugene, Salem, and Portland areas.
The last woodcut that we had in
February was well-attended by tribal
youth. Let's keep this new tradition
going strong!
If you have parents or grandpar
ents who burn wood in the winter to
stay warm, you need to help out at this
event. This would also make a great
Mother's Day present!
Personal Finance and Real Estate
hv Yvonne Messmer, Housing Finance Manager, 503-390-9494 or (toll-free) 1-888-870-9051
Down Payment
Assistance Program
How Do I Know If I Am
Ready to Buy a Home?
The tribe’s program provides down
payment and closing cost assistance to
qualifying below-median-income
households and leverages other private
funding.
Tribal members can apply to the
Down Payment Assistance Program
(DPA) at any time. Applications are pro
cessed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The tribe does not charge a fee for
application or use of the DPA Program,
however, there are costs associated with
the purchase of a home.
DPA
is
awarded in the
form of a for
givable loan
as evidenced
by a recorded
trust deed
against the
subject property.
You can find out by asking yourself
some questions:
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Do I have a steady source of in
come (usually a job)?
Have I been employed on a regu
lar basis for the last 2-3 years?
Is my current income reliable?
Do I have a good record of paying
my bills?
Do I have few or no outstanding
debts (like car payments)?
Do I have money saved for a down
payment?
Do I have the ability to pay a mortgage
every month, plus additional costs?
If you answered yes to these ques
tions, then you might be ready. Give
me a call to find out about the Down
Payment Assistance Program and how
it can help you!
What is the Difference
Between a Credit Report
and a Credit Score?
Have you heard these terms before
and wondered what the difference is?
A credit report vs. a credit score is kind
of like the test you take vs. the grade
you get.
Credit reports are a history of what
you have done financially for the past
seven to 10 years. Your credit report
contains:
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Your name(s) - past and current
Address - past and current
Social Security number and date of
birth
Employeris) - past and present
All credit accounts that you have
had for up to 10 years prior
How much you owe and how much
credit you have
The terms for each credit account
The current status of each account
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Bankruptcies, judgments, reposses
sions, past due child support and
collections
Inquiries that have been made
Your credit score is simply that, a
score that you earn based on what you
have done. Credit scores generally range
from 300 to 850, the higher the better.
Lenders use the scoring system to
determine your credit worthiness. It
you have paid your bills on time, been
responsible with your money, and have
stable income, you will get the best rate
possible and maybe even some other
great options.
If you have a troubled past and a
low credit score, lenders may charge a
higher rate or higher fees, or they might
not be willing to give you a loan.
If you have questions about your
credit report, please feel free to call me.
I may be able to answer your questions
and give you some options on what
to do.
April 2007
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Siletz Ne^c
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