SILETZ NEWS
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Tina Retasket,
Acting General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 48, No. 5
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
May 2020
Presorted
First-Class
Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid - Permit
No. 178
Salem, OR
477-Self Sufficiency Program still providing essential services amid COVID-19
Short-Term Benefits: Siletz families
The 477-Self Sufficiency Program
(SSP) is open and providing essential
services to eligible families and indi-
viduals residing in the Tribe’s 11-county
service area.
Due to Covid-19, all Tribal offices
are closed to the public. We still accept
applications and conduct appointments
over the phone and through email. SSP has
prioritized the following services:
•
Pre-Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (Pre-TANF)/Non-Recurrent
below 185% of the federal poverty
level (FPL) may be eligible for short-
term financial assistance that doesn’t
exceed four months. The financial
assistance is meant to provide basic
needs and address short-term emer-
gent needs.
•
•
•
Regular Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families: Siletz families below
the countable income limits and FPL
may be eligible for monthly grant
assistance to meet basic needs
•
General Assistance for Single Adults:
Siletz single adults below the count-
able income limits and FPL may be
eligible for monthly grant assistance
to meet basic needs
Emergency Assistance: Siletz fami-
lies or single adults may be eligible
for support services to prevent evic-
tion or utility shut-off. Income guide-
lines apply.
Classroom Training: The program is
still providing financial assistance
(tuition, stipends and support ser-
vices) to eligible American Indians
attending GED, Higher Education or
Vocational/Occupational Training.
If you recently lost your employment
due to Covid-19 and need assistance to
meet your basic needs, please contact
your local Tribal office for an application.
Additional eligibility criteria apply.
SSP staff will reach out to you by
phone or email. You can also email
477SSP@ctsi.nsn.us for more information.
Please include your name, phone number
and the city/county in which you reside.
Important school closure announcements on COVID-19 education response efforts
The Tribal Education staff wants
families to know that while this is a scary
time, it’s important to know:
1. Check your student’s school or dis-
trict website regularly for updates
to distance learning, Chromebook/
laptop checkout processes and meal
distribution sites. The Tribal website
(ctsi.nsn.us) updates school links as
information comes in.
2. Oregon schools had until April 13
to implement distance learning for
their students. Some schools may have
gotten this up and running sooner.
Distance learning is required learn-
ing and is important for your student.
3. Districts are providing Chromebooks/
laptops for students to use at home
– contact your school for checkout
options and pickup sites. Many
schools are also helping with access
to the Internet. Many Internet provid-
ers are eliminating or reducing their
fees. Check with your carrier.
4. Districts are also providing paper
packets for students who do not
have access to the Internet or have
other barriers to digital learning For
Supplemental Learning - more infor-
mation to come on distance learning
options.
5. Respond to your districts promptly if
they reach out to you regarding your
needs. They need to hear from you so
they can better serve every student.
If you experience any barriers to com-
municating with your student’s school or
accessing distance learning for your stu-
dent, please reach out to your area educa-
tion specialist. We are all in this together.
Contact your Tribal education special-
ist if you need help connecting with your
child’s school:
Siletz Area: Alissa Lane-Keene, alissal@
ctsi.nsn.us
Salem Area: Sonya Moody-Jurado,
sonyamj@ctsi.nsn.us
Portland Area: Katy Holland, katyh@
ctsi.nsn.us
Eugene Area: Nick Viles, nickv@ctsi.
nsn.us
CTSI – COVID-19 Pandemic Response
This month’s edition of Siletz News is
full of information and resources regard-
ing the pandemic and what programs and
services may be available to you. Tribal
staff continues to work primarily from
home and only a handful of staff is actu-
ally in the office at any given time.
Our goal is – and remains – to continue
to provide quality essential services in new
creative ways. Things change on a daily basis
and we work hard to respond to those changes.
In addition to providing services by
telephone and email, we developed a
phone tree for the Tribe’s main switch-
board. Callers can select program ser-
vices from the menu and we have staff to
respond during the regular work day. If you
get a message, please leave your name and
number and someone will get back to you.
The Community Health program
developed a resource line for Tribal mem-
bers to call if they need help accessing
essential services – 541-444-9613. Elders
receive calls weekly or bi-monthly, based
on their preference, and staff are working
hard to help elders meet their needs while
keeping them safe at home.
If you are an elder who has not
received a call, it means we do not have a
current telephone number for you. Please
contact the Enrollment Department at
541-444-8258 or 800-922-1399, ext.
1258, to update your information.
A drop box was installed at the back
of the Tribal administration building in
Siletz for Tribal members to drop off
applications or payments. It is checked
daily and information received is routed
to the appropriate program for processing.
Students are impacted by the pan-
demic and school closures. Our Education
staff continues to provide support and
assistance to help students continue their
education through virtual platforms.
Staff developed a youth Facebook
page and offer daily activities. By the time
you read this, they will have helped spon-
sor a virtual pow-wow. Please sign onto the
page at www.facebook.com/CTSIyouth.
We recognize that many of our gradu-
ating seniors will not have the opportu-
nity to participate in the usual activities
– senior prom, graduation, eagle feather
ceremonies and more. We want to do a
special tribute to our graduating seniors
and would like families to send us a photo
along with the name of the school from
which the student is graduating and brief
information about their future plans. Send
it to CTSI, Graduating Seniors, P.O. Box
549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549.
Please stay safe at home and let us
know how we can assist.
Tina Retasket, Acting GM
tinar@ctsi.nsn.us; 541-444-8210;
800-922-1399, ext. 1210
Courtesy photo by Joyce Retherford
Members of the Siletz Valley Fire District continue to serve their community by
volunteering to help the Tribe’s USDA food distribution program pack 183 food boxes,
feeding 228 people in need. Those involved include fire district volunteers Alex Yoder,
Zack Fluhr and Amber Fluhr; and board members Patti Skauge and Rick Olsen.