March 3, 1995
Page 6
Tribal population has diverse housing needs (Continued from page 5)
Smoke Signals
Table S-2 provides a summary of
the various financial need indica
tors described above. No matter
what the measure, Tribal house
holds have significant financial
needs. For example, over 55
percent of all Tribal households
are considered low or very-low
income; 33 percent are very low
income. Forty-six percent experi
ence cost burden (that is, they pay
more than 30 percent of their
household income for housing).
Nearly 25 percent are considered
to be in poverty according to
federal standards.
Housing Needs of Tribal Elders
About 30 percent of the respon
dents indicated that they had at
least one individual over age 55
residing in their household. The
housing needs of Tribal elders are
summarized below.
Fourteen percent of the house
holds indicated they would not
consider retiring in Grand Ronde.
Nearly 48 percent (210 house-
Jobs in the woods and timber
workers make a match
(Tillamook)... Twelve local dis
located timber workers will get a
chance to update their forestry
skills in year-long ecosystem
restoration jobs on federal, state
and possibly private lands begin
ning in April, Lou Minisce of the
North Coast Ecosystem Work
Force Initiative announced today.
The North Coast Ecosystem
Work-Force Initiative is one of
seven demonstration projects un
der development in Oregon for
1995 linking dislocated timber
workers with the ecosystem resto
ration. The projects are part of
"Jobs in the Woods" program
created by the Clinton Administra
tion as part of the Northwest
Economic Adjustment Initiative.
Tillamook County, the demon
stration project will put 12 people
to work for at least one year. The
goal of the project is to help
forestry workers diversify their
skill based through ecosystem
restoration work and paid training
while earning enough to support a
family, including benefits.
A wide variety of partners are
helping to piece the 1995 project
Table S-2. Summary
Percent of
Financial Measure Households Households
Total Survey Households 559 100.0
Household Income
Low Income Households 294 55.1
Very Low Income Households 178 33.3
Cost Burden
All Households 191 46.0
Owner-Occupied Households 61 30.3
Renter-Occupied Households 120 62.2
Poverty
All Households 115 24.7
Families With Children Under 18 55 22.9
Families With Children Under 7 50 23.0
Single Parent Households 24 53.3
With Children Under 18 23 48.9
With Children Under 7 1 5 62.5
Households With Individuals Over 55 34 26.8
Source: 1994 Tribal Housing
together, hoping to restructure
relationships to provide long-term
income-earning opportunities to
increasing numbers of forestry
workers. The partnership includes
the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, the
Bureau of Land Management,
Management and Training Corpo
ration, the Oregon Department of
Forestry, the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, Tillamook
Bay Community College,
Tillamook County Economic De
velopment, the Governor's Office,
Oregon State University Extension
Service, the University of Oregon,
the International Woodworker As
sociation and the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Community of Oregon.
In Sweet Home in 1994, 10 forest
workers worked for five months on
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management ecosystem res
toration projects as "Jobs in the
Woods" pilot. The workers spent
a day in training for every four
days on the job. They earned
$ 1 0.32 per hour with full benefits.
Sweet Home is planning a second
of Financial Needs Indicators
Needs Assessment Survey.
demonstration project for 1995.
Other demonstration projects this
year will take place in Roseburg,
Waldport, the Rogue, Oakridge
and the Deschutes.
The Northwest Economic Adjust
ment Initiative is part of President
Clinton's Forest Plan to help
timber-dependent communities of
the Northwest diversify their
economies. Jobs in the Woods is
one of four areas where the
administration has made addi
tional funds available to support
diversification efforts. Funds are
also available through the North
west Economic Adjustment Initia
tive for infrastructure, business
and worker retraining projects.
Federal fiscal 1995 awards to
date to Lincoln County from
Northwest Economic Adjustment
Initiative funds (no awards to
Tillamook County to date in
FY95):
Contact: Lou Minisce, Manage
ment and Training Corp., (503)
842-6675, or Jennifer Kang, Or
egon Economic Development
Dept., (503) 986-0113.
BIA grants $65,000 for work:
Agency Creek restoration to start soon
A $65,000 grant has been awarded to the tribe by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs for habitat restoration work on Agency Creek.
Eric Anderson, wildlife biologist with the tribe's Natural Resources
Department, said that the stream restoration work will be done on the
reaches of the North Fork and West Force of Agency Creek.
"The work will provide better habitat for fish. We will move logs and
boulder to provide a good pond to riffle ratio, and stabilize some of the
stream banks," he said.
He said that there are three sites where the stream banks need some
work.
Some planting on the project should begin within three weeks.
"We will be working on the job throughout the summer. Much of the
work will be done in July and August during low flows by the people
hired for summer work," he said.
Anderson said he is awaiting word on another grant that will hire un
employed commercial fishermen for habitat restoration work.
"The grant is for $175,000 through the National Marine Fisheries Ser
vice," he said. "We applied for the grant in a joint effort with the Polk
County Natural Resources Conservation Service."
Council nominations notice
Nominations for the Tribal Council will be held at the May 1995 Gen
eral Council meeting.
Any dually enrolled tribal member who will be 18 years of age or older
by the date of the election is qualified to be a candidate.
Any eligible voter may nominate from the floor at the May meeting.
However, the candidate must be present to accept of decline the nomina
tion. Current Council member up for reelection are: Andrew Jenness,
Kathryn Harrison,' and Ed Larsen.
holds) indicated they would re
quire financial assistance if they
retired in Grand Ronde, while 38
percent would not require financial
assistance.
The needs of households with
elders are not substantially differ
ent than those of the overall Tribal
population; over 78 percent of the
respondents indicated they will
need a single family detached
dwelling in five years (includes
manufactured homes). The one
exception is that over nine percent
of households with elders indi
cated they would need an elder
housing complex in five years.
A significant percentage of
Tribal elders indicated they have
some type of physical limitations.
Over one-third of the respondents
indicated they need assistance with
home repairs. Housework and
yardwork are also areas that
respondents indicated they need
assistance with. About 24 percent
of the respondents indicated they
need help with yard work, while 17
percent need help with housework.