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Tribal Housing Fund Program Policy
Smoke Signals May 1991
To establish uniform procedures for the expenditure of
Tribal Housing Funds annually set aside for housing
assistance pursuant to the Tribal Appropriations
Ordinance and the Grand Ronde Constitution.
Definitions
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: Emergency Assistance
grants for emergency housing repair assistance. Priority
consideration will be given to elderly, handicapped and
or when there exists a threat to life or limb.
DOWN-PAYMENT ASSISTANCE: Grants to eligible
tribal members, not to exceed $5,000 for down payment
assistance for the purchase of a standard home.
NON-STANDARD HOME: A home that cannot be
brought to decent, safe and sanitary condition and meet
applicable codes for fire and life safety.
STANDARD HOME: A home that is considered
decent, safe, and sanitary and meets all applicable state
and local codes for fire and life safety and is adequately
sized for the applicant family.
RESIDENCE POINTS: For both, Emergency Assis
tance and Purchase Assistance grants, additional points
will be awarded based on residence, in the following
order:
LEVEL I: Service Area Counties
The service area counties include: Polk, Yamhill,
Marion, Tillamook, Washington and Multnomah.
LEVEL II: Connecting Counties to Service Area
These counties include: Clackamas, Columbia,
Clatsop, Hood River, Wasco, Jefferson, Linn, Benton
and Lincoln counties in Oregon, and Clark county in
Washington.
LEVEL III: All Other Areas
All other areas not listed in the above two sections.
GENERAL: Eligibility for Tribal Housing Assistance is
limited to those eligible tribal members who have not
been previously helped by the Housing Improvement
Program or the Tribal Housing Program. However,
Emergency Housing Assistance requests shall be
considered if it is demonstrated that the emergency oc
curred as a result of an action being beyond the control
of the applicant or if there is a threat to life andor limb.
Each request shall be reviewed on a case by case basis.
EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE CRITE
RIA: Emergency Tribal Housing Assistance will be
provided to eligible enrolled members of the Tribe
based on the following criteria:
Priority points will be awarded for those 55 or
older; the handicapped andor when there exists a
threat to life or limb.
Additional points will be awarded based on
residence as described under Residence Points of the
Definitions section.
Applicants must be a minimum of eighteen (18)
years of age.
Emergency Assistance grants may be expended
for the following types of repairs:
1. ElectricalHeating
2. Plumbing
3. Roofing
4. Foundations
5. Insulation and Weatherizations
6. Water Supply
7. Sanitary facilities
No cosmetic items will qualify under this
section if existing material is adequate.
Requests for Emergency Housing Assistance
shall be reviewed on a case by case basis.
PURCHASE ASSISTANCE: Down payment grants
may be awarded for homes that meet the following
conditions:
a standard home (stick frame)
a Mobile home that is not a used unit, has a
minimum of 840 square feet, was built in Oregon or
meets all specifications for Oregon, or meets insulation
and energy conservation codes.
that has a pitched roof (metal or shingle). No
flat roofs will be considered.
Maximum grant under this section would be 10 of
purchase price plus closing costs, or the amount needed
to secure the loan plus closing costs or $5,000, whichever
is less.
Purchase assistance funds will only be provided for
habitable homes. Fixer uppers, used mobiles, vacant
land, and rental or commercial property will not be
considered for purchase assistance.
Persons allocated purchase assistance funds will be
required to payback 100 of the grant to the Tribe if
the home is sold or foreclosed on within five (5) years.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:
Priority will be given to the elderly and the
handicapped.
Additional points will be awarded based on:
- Family Size
- Household Income (House
holds who can demonstrate an ability to meet mortgage
payments, including principle, interest, taxes and
insurance costs).'
- Residence (As described
under Residence Points in the Definitions section of this
policy).
WAITING LIST REVIEW: All tribal members with an
application for assistance on file with the Tribal Housing
office shall be given the opportunity to update their
housing application and to receive priority consideration
with other eligible applicants who applied during the
same year and who have not received prior Housing
Improvement Program or Tribal Housing Program
Assistance.
The Tribal Housing Director shall designate the
"grace" period for updating each file and shall apply this
priority consideration for a period not to exceed two
years from the date of adoption of this policy, unless
otherwise extended by the Tribal Council.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Thelribai housing
director will provide reports quarterly to the Tribal
Council and semi-annually to the General Council on
the expenditure of Tribal Housing Funds.
PROGRAM REVIEW: a program review will be
conducted semi-annually by the general manager and
recommendations submitted to the Tribal Council for
appropriate action.
PROGRAM PROCEDURES: The Housing Director
shall develop program procedures, including applicant
rating and ranking criteria, to carry out the intent of this
policy. These procedures will be reviewed by the
operations manager prior to implementation and
thereafter will be reviewed annually for effectiveness.
Members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde have two programs available to them.
Members living inside the sue county service area, are
eligible to apply for the H.I.P. (Housing Improvement
Program), and the T.H.P. (Tribal Housing Program).
Members living outside the service area are eligible to
apply for the Tribal Housing Program.
Members need to fill out an application and provide
some kind of income verification in order to be consid
ered for the programs. Applications need to be updated
every 3 years at a minimum. Application are reviewed
and ranked and rated every year so it is important to
keep them updated.
Should you have any questions please contact Lonnie
Leno at the Tribal Office, 879-5211.
lvVvj J yip
Tribal Youth Joe Merrier.
MercierWins Championship
Tribal youth, Joe Merrier recently won the 1990-91
State Freestyle Wrestling Championship in the 9 -10
year old 60 lb. weight division.
Mercier's regular season record stands at 33 wins and
just 1 loss. By winning the State Championship, Mercicr
qualified himself for the National Collegiate Style
Wrestling Tournament in Boise, Idaho. The Nationals
will be held June 25th through the 29th. Merrier
defeated 11 opponents with a major decision or pins on
his way to the Championship.
Good luck at the Nationals Joe!
Martin Returns from
New Mexico Trip
Bids for Miss Indian World Title
I'd like to thank everyone for their support and
encouragement in my recent effort for the Miss Indian
World title. Although I did not come home with any
awards, I did come home with a full heart and some
great memories to cherish forever.
It was such an honor for me to represent our Tribe in
something as big as this. I felt so much pride in Grand
Entry, dancing among the over 1,000 Indian people
representing Tribes from all over North America.
I learned about other Tribes through the 17 other
contestants coming from 10 different states. I made
some really good friends and I will never forget this
experience. I encourage anyone with a truly sincere
interest in their culture and representing their Tribe to
not be afraid tp reach for something even if it seems a
little out of reach because you'll find it's not as far as it
seems and you better yourself just by trying.
I'd like to give a special thank you to the following
people for going out of their way to help me prepare for
my trip and for their financial assistance to make it
possible: Tribal Council, Pow-Wow Committee, Elders
Committee, Health Committee, Louella Azule, Lillie
Butler, Lee Butler, Ha Dowd, Nora Kimsey, Val Grout,
Mark Cook, Wilmadene Butler, Linda, Rochelle and
Shelley Andrews, The Schmid Family, Merle Holmes,
Patti Martin, Jackie Provost and a very special thank you
to my mother Bonnie Martin for always supporting me
in all of my endeavors and having tremendous patience
when I'm grumpy because I'm a little behind.
My love and prayers go out to everyone! Thank you
for giving me the opportunity to represent you!
Cindy Martin