Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1992)
S ILETZ, OREGON January 1992 - PAGE 7, Desert Share Food A rrives By: Sharon Butler, USDA Director Editors Note: (Recently the Confederated Tribes of Siletz became the recipient of surplus food left over from Operation Desert Storm. Very little advance notice was given before delivery and everyone really had to hustle.) Housing Report H.I.P. Report By: Connie Hoffman, Housing Director By: Howard Roy, H.I.P. Coordinator As we begin 1992, I am looking back over my first year with the Siletz Indian Housing Authority. It has been a challenging, exciting year for me. I feel privileged to be associated with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. I appreciate the support from the Housing Authority board and from the Homebuyers in the Mutual Help housing projects. Together, we have made headway on many problems over the past year. We are looking ahead now to embarking on some new programs and activities. We are working on putting together an application to HUD for funds to support Youth Sports Activities for youngsters in the housing projects. This would be done in cooperation with the Siletz Junior League basketball association and perhaps the baseball association. The main focus of this program is to prepare youngsters to resist the pressures to experiment with and use illegal drugs, including alcohol, so a component of it will be education and training by professionals in the drug and alcohol field who are on the Tribal Clinic staff. Another program that we hope to get started in the New Year is the formation of a Resident Organization in the Mutual Help housing projects. This would be a group, separate from the Housing Authority, but working closely with it. We have some very definite guidelines from HUD for the formation of the group and will be calling a meeting soon for the Homebuyers to discuss it. Besides helping to chart the future growth of the Housing Authority, the Resident Organization could be very helpful in dealing with the current on-going management problems in the projects. In cooperation with Tina Retasket and her Social Services staff, I have been working to set up a network with Housing Authorities and Community Action Agencies throughout the Tribal service area so that we can get Tribal members nominated for housing programs which could benefit them. Just prior to the publication of this newsletter, we made application to the Lincoln County Emergency Food and Shelter Program for funds to provide emergency housing assistance to Tribal members in Lincoln County who are homeless or faced with eviction. Those who are in need of such help There have been some changes in the housing improvement program operations. We have developed a new alpha-numerical file system, a new file format, and a JTPA training module. We are now utilizing a borrowed computer to implement some innovative ideas. The progress this last eight months are four category "C" down payments for the purchase of standard housing. Another category "C" down payment grant was used as a partial down payment on a newly constructed home, (first time in all Indian Country). We are substantially complete with one category "B" remodel and have started two new category "B" remodel projects this month. W orking w ith Sharon Edenfield, Business Manager; Mary "Dolly" Fisher, Committee Chairman; Jay Christensen and Elouise Case of the Housing Improvement Committee, has been a real pleasure. Their support and guidance has been outstanding! I am looking forward to further success with the program in the upcoming year. should contact the Housing Authority office here in Siletz in January to see if these funds will be available. I look forward to meeting more of you in the months ahead. Elders Review From: Pauline Ricks G reetings! 1991 is almost over and we will soon be starting a New Year. Most of us feel we had a good year. Once again, we made the Rogue River trip. Elouise made available two trips to museums in Bend and Tillamook and we got our first Siletz Indian Fair off the ground. In the October Newsletter, I didn't have all the names of the participants (and I apologize). Next year I will do better. The names were Geraldine Duke Ashley, Gladys Bolton, and Rose Bremner. All three had beautiful displays of hand work. Duke also had a beautiful display of heirloom crochet and Wilma Strong had a beautiful display of old Siletz baskets. We are looking forward to next year. We had a lot of fun. We also participated in thé Siletz and Grand Ronde Parades, went to the Lincoln County Fair and took part in our Siletz Ladies Club Annual Bazaar. Some of us were also at the Head Start Mini Pow Wow. Busy year! The Elders would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff workers, the Elders Representatives and others that have helped us this past year. We would like to wish you and all Tribal members a M e r r y Christmas and a Happy New Yearl DECEMBER 2: 32,000 lbs. of food arrived at the Siletz Central Office. After unloading the truck, we began distributing food. During the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. we served 380 Tribai members. (A big thank you to Nancy Simmons for spending hours on the phone notifying people about the distribution). DECEMBER 3: We loaded two tribal trucks and went to the Portland Area Office. We would like to thank the lovely ladies: Connie, Katie, Kelly and Tammy for their help. The Portland Area Office served 165 Tribal Members. DECEMBER 4: We loaded the tribal forestry truck and went to the Springfield Office. We served 99 Tribal Members with the help of the office staff and Marty Patrick ( he helped us pack boxes in the rain). "Thank You". I would also like to thank the staff for the invite to have Chinese food. DECEMBER 5: We loaded three tribal trucks and headed for the Salem Area Office. With the great help of Sonya and Brian we served about 250 Tribal Members. I left extra food at each office in case someone missed out. Altogether, 1012 Tribal Members were served. 111 Tribal Members were served with the food that was left at the Area Offices. I would personally like to thank Royce Strong, the BI A person, for ordering the food! Our people are always in need. Mike Kennedy, the Tribal Forester, let us use the trucks and Bristo Bayya and Brian Bremner for three days. This was a great help. Those big boys picked up the heavy boxes with out a problem. Thanks! Dan Brown and John Norwest distributed food December 3rd at Central Office and went to Salem December 5th to help distribute there. Thank you both. Judy Johnson, a non-Tribal member (my friend) who has tribal children, spent all four days helping distribute food. A couple of times she looked like a drowned puppy from the rain. Thank you, Judy. It's people like these, laughing through the cold and rain, Bristo and Dan with crazy laughs, Brian and John with puppy eyes and Judy with the wet puppy look, who make a lot of things worth while. I appreciate all of you. I know what a hard job it is tp load and unload trucks! (Not quite as bad as having to eat at Chinese and Kings Table, but it's close!!! We ran into Kings Table and left like a herd of turtles!!! * -.... Now after all the good words, I hope you will be available for the next two trucks!!! They are suppose to be here by January.
