Siletz news /, December 01, 2018, Image 1

SILETZ NEWS
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 46, No. 12
December 2018
Presorted
First-Class
Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid - Permit
No. 178
Salem, OR
Siletz Tribe, American Indian organizations partner on historic affordable
housing project in Portland that targets urban Native population
PORTLAND, Ore. – A collabora-
tion between the Native American Youth
and Family Center (NAYA), the Native
American Rehabilitation Association of
the Northwest (NARA NW), Community
Development Partners and the Confeder-
ated Tribes of Siletz Indians will create 59
units of affordable housing in Portland’s
Cully Neighborhood.
The historic project, Nesika Illahee,
meaning “Our Place” in the Chinook lan-
guage, is the first time the partners have
come together to construct affordable
housing for Tribal members and other
Native families in Portland using gener-
ous funding from the Siletz Tribe’s Indian
Housing Block Grant. Those funds have
generally been used for affordable housing
activities within reservation lands.
The project’s groundbreaking cer-
emony was held Nov. 20 at 6300 NE 42 nd
Ave. in Portland.
“We are very pleased to partner with
NAYA and NARA and provide Siletz
Tribal members with the opportunity for
affordable housing in the Portland area.
This will benefit Tribal citizens for many
years to come,” said Siletz Tribal Chair-
man Delores Pigsley.
NAYA and NARA will partner on
delivering onsite behavioral health, dental
and recovery services, as well as referral
to NAYA’s center-based services located
less than a mile away.
“Displacement is a major problem in
the Native American community due to
increasing rental and housing costs and
low household incomes. Nesika Illahee
will be a step towards bringing Native
community members closer to NAYA,
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
Leaders of the many programs involved in the Nesika Illahee housing project ceremoniously break ground on Nov. 20, including
(l to r), Bekah Sabzalian, Meyer Memorial Trust; Elisa Harrigan, Meyer Memorial Trust; Rich Rodgers, CDP; Eric Paine, CDP;
Brian Carleton, Carleton Hart Architecture; Michael Watkins, NARA; Delores Pigsley, Siletz Tribe; Wesley Thompson, Aegon;
Eddie Sherman, NAYA; Sami Jo Difuntorum, Siletz Tribe; Paul Lumley, NAYA; Margaret Salazar, State of Oregon; Ted Wheeler,
City of Portland; Alissa Keny-Guyer, state legislator; Ian Davie, Home Forward; and Tawna D. Sanchez, state legislator.
the historic site of the Neerchokikoo
Tribal village. We are excited to bring
an opportunity for Native Americans to
return to what is now the Cully neighbor-
hood while meeting their urgent need for
housing,” said Paul Lumley, NAYA execu-
tive director.
Eric Paine, chief executive officer of
Community Development Partners, the
project’s developer, said, “CDP is elated to
be working with our partners in bringing
this important community that will serve
Native American residents to fruition.
Providing high quality housing that is
permanently affordable alongside robust
ongoing programming is the foundation
of CDP’s mission.”
The development was designed by
Carleton Hart Architecture and will be
built by LMC Construction.
See Nesika on page 12
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
Courtesy photo
Junior Lane and Ed Ben, the Tribe’s two remaining World War II veterans, attend
the announcement of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, to be
built on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Wash-
ington, D.C.. Groundbreaking is set for September 2019 with the dedication of
the memorial in November 2020.
At the Siletz Tribal Restoration Pow-Wow on Nov. 17, the Tribe’s CARE Pro-
gram coordinated special dances in honor of missing and murdered indigenous
women, as well as honoring survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Here, participants enter the dance arena in the first of those dances.
See more pow-wow photos on pages 9-11.