Intertribal summit sparks ideas for Tribal youth to make community better
Several Tribal youth attended the
2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit,
entitled Young Leaders Shaping Their
Communities, on July 28-Aug. 1 in Wash
ington, D.C., at the National 4-H Youth
Conference Center.
The summit included several days of
intense workshops with federal govern
ment staff. Workshops included those on
civic engagement, solving community
problems with conflict resolution skills,
opportunities for STEM (science, technol
ogy, engineering, math) for today’s Native
students, bullying prevention, Native
Youth Champions of Change, leadership
skills and building a collective voice.
Students also learned about key legis
lative topics on Capitol Hill, including the
Tribal Law and Order Act and managing
energy resources. They were able to take
one evening tour of some of the documents.
“Siletz Tribal youth representatives
were up at 7 a.m. every morning through
the evening programs. 1 had the opportu
nity to be the chaperone and they were
the greatest - wonderful ambassadors
for our Tribe and for change,” said Katy
Holland, education specialist in the Port
land Area Office.
STRUGGLING
'Johnson takes on
bullying
By Dreonna Johnson
The youth summit has inspired
me to take action to better my com
munity, specifically with problems
having to do with bullying.
Other youth and I are forming a
Native anti-bullying group on Face
book and we plan to make an anti
bullying PSA or video sometime in
the future.
The summit helped open my eyes
to all of the different problems that
Native youth face and facilitated com
munication between many different
Tribes around the nation. I realized
that our Tribe deals with a lot of the
same problems that other Tribes do,
which made it easier to come up with
solutions because there were so many
different points of view.
The summit also gave me mul
tiple tools to bring back to my
community, including activities like
lacrosse and life skills that aren’t
^taught in school.__________________
with drugs or alcohol ?
The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations provides residential
chemical dependency treatment for tribal youth, right here in the Northwest.
90 to 120 day treatment program
Expressive Arts • Social Justice • Recreational opportunities •
Native American cultural base • Music Program complete with recording studio
Admission Contact: Dorothy Poppe • Phone: 509-795-8340 •
dorothYPehealinqlodqe.org • 5600 East 8,h Avenue • Spokane Valley, WA
99212
Enrolled tribal members or direct descendants (children and grandchildren) have their treatment
paid directly by Indian Health Service, never a cost to tribal programs.
Recovery is just a call away. (509) 795-8340
Courtesy photo
Devonte' Casey, Jasmine Hernandez, Dreonna Johnson and Jesse Bostwick attend
the 2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit in Washington, DC.
Buying your first home is easier
with paperwork in order, ready to go
First-time homebuyers have a lot of
questions about buying. One of the most
popular questions is how long does it take
to buy a home? It all depends on how
ready you are.
Buyers who have decent credit, get
pre-approved for their mortgage loan and
are well-organized will move through the
process much quicker. Prepared buyers
will have corrected credit issues, readied
documentation and worked at least a solid
year in their current job.
If you intend to purchase a home
in the future, it’s a good idea to start
getting organized with your paperwork
now. Keep bank statements, tax returns
with W-2s and 1099s, paystubs and any
paperwork from financial transactions.
Lenders generally want to see at least
two previous months of paystubs, two
years of tax returns and two months of
all bank statements.
Once you are pre-approved, then it’s
just a matter of finding the right home.
You will work closely with your mortgage
lender to get pre-approved for your loan
and then you will work closely with your
realtor to find the right home for you.
Realtors will help you through the
inspection process and appraisal process.
There are many steps to purchasing a
home. Make sure you have a good profes
sional team to help you through all of it.
If you utilize the Down Payment
Assistance Program the Tribe has avail
able (see below), you will want to apply
at the same time you apply for your
mortgage loan. Your lender will need
information about the program and the
documentation is similar.
If you are not ready to buy a home
now but would like to in the future, the
Siletz Saves! IDA Program (see below)
would be a good match for you.
If you are interested in either pro
gram, contact Yvonne Messmer in the
Salem area office at 503-390-9494 or
toll-free at 888-870-9051.
Personal Finance and Real Estate
Yvonne Messmer, Housing Finance Manager • 503-390-9494 or toll-free 888-870-9051
If homebuying is a goal for you but you aren’t ready yet:
If you are ready to buy a home:
Siletz Saves! IDA Program
Down Payment Assistance Program
If you aren’t ready to buy yet and at least one of these situations sounds like
you, Siletz Saves! might be perfect for you:
•
•
•
•
I have some credit issues to clean up.
I don’t have enough income to make a mortgage payment.
I don’t understand how everything works.
I’m still in school but nearly finished.
The IDA Program is a matched savings program. It helps low-income Tribal
members understand their credit, correct credit issues and save toward the
purchase of a first home. Participants make regular deposits into an individual
development account or IDA. The amount saved is then matched $3 for every
$1 saved - a 300 percent return! Participants must save for at least six months
up to three years and attend financial fitness classes.
You can find out by asking yourself some questions:
•
Do I have a steady source of income (usually a job)?
•
•
Have I been employed on a regular basis for the last 2-3 years?
•
Do I have a good record of paying my bills?
•
•
Do I have few or no outstanding debts (like car payments)?
Do I have some money saved?
•
Do I have the ability to pay a mortgage every month, plus additional costs?
Is my current income reliable?
If you answered yes to these questions, then you might be ready. Give me
a call to find out about the Down Payment Assistance Program. It helps with
closing costs and a down payment when purchasing your first home.
September 2012
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Siletz News
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