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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1998)
3 August 1, 1998 News Job services bring new life to Portland office jp mm, j. I ?- ,,, J. i I- I f Is' 1 ' ' p " " S i" PffatwaswisMi i . 1' , ' I S iMMk f : .'-. "V r - I Is 1 J I , f ' - - - ! ;'' I. I k---- U " 0 ' V" '.' i John Smith and VEEP Project Coordinator Tracie Meyer outside the Portland Outreach office. "It's shocking to realize how many people didn't even know the Portland Outreach office existed..." . Jon George, Voc. Rehab. Specialist By Oscar Johnson As a new career program gears up to serve the over 450 tribal members living in Multnomah and Washing ton counties, many are hoping the added services will also rehabilitate the Grand Ronde Tribe's satellite of fice in Portland. The Vocational Employment Expe rience Program (VEEP) aims to help members with disabilities find their ideal career by assessing personal needs, career interests and skills then providing hands-on experience in their field of choice. Although the 12-month-long, federally funded project is also accessible to members in Salem and Grand Ronde, it could help breathe new life into the Tribe's dormant Portland office. "I found out about it in the Smoke Signals so I beelined it down here," says John Smith, the first Portland area tribal member to take advantage of the tribes new vocational rehabili tation project. "I've been kind of clinging on to them every since." Smith, who until recently was get ting by on monthly disability pay ments, says he has only been able to find part-time work. Thanks to VEEP and support from the Portland office staff, now he has earned his Gradu ate Equivalency Diploma (GED); is saving up to buy a car; and pursuing his career interest in drug and alco hol prevention. "I enjoy working with this project and other tribal folks," says Smith, a long-time Portland resident who re calls the days when the office was al most always closed. "This is like having our own embassy." What Smith calls Grand Ronde's Portland-based "embassy," some might call one of the Tribe's best kept secrets. So well kept, in fact, that no one seems to know exactly how long the Southeast Portland office has been around. For at least the last three years the office lay nestled amongst the hodge podge of small organizations housed in the old Portland Library Building at 1110 Southeast Alder Street. "It's shocking to realize how many people didn't even know the Portland outreach office existed," says Voca tional Rehabilitation Specialist, Jon George who was recently hired to work out of both the Grand Ronde and Portland offices. "I'm kind of like the Ginny-pig to see if there is a need to place a person here full time." George says that since he was hired in June his Portland caseload has al ready jumped from two to six mem ber clients who learned about him through Smoke Signals and he ex pects to hear from more Portland area tribal members once the word gets out. The Tribe's lone, part-time Port land office staffer says a mailing cam paign to inform residents in Multnomah and Washington counties the branch's service area is also in the pipeline. There are currently 366 members living in Multnomah County and 89 in Washington County which, when combined, gives the greater Portland area the largest and most concentrated population of Grand Ronde tribal members. The Portland office was originally an outreach center for the Tribe's Health and Human Services Division (HSD). Over the last few years it has been used as an appointment-only meeting site for Grand Ronde gen eral assistance, chemical dependency, child welfare and vocational rehabili tation service providers and Portland members, according to Vocational Rehabilitation Manager, Patti Tom Martin. Since the branch has never had full time staff many say that those few members who did know of its exist ence would often stop by only to find the doors locked. But for the duration of the VEEP project the doors will be open for busi ness daily, says VEEP Project Coordi nator, Tracie Meyers. Meyers, an alumni of vocational rehabilitation her self, heads Klone Okustee, the social service consultancy contracted by the Tribe to run VEEP. She says the key element to the pro gram is connecting clients with the right mentors who are "absolutely committed, capable of letting the project be mentor driven and recep tive to feedback." "One year down the road I expect clients to know and be excited about what their career choices are," says Meyer. "If they can take responsi bility for their own growth. that would be ideal. The Portland-based program began in March after the of fice moved to a larger, four room spot in the lower half of the building. But both Meyer and George, who are Portland-based tribal members themselves, are setting their sites be yond just vocational programs. While George some day hopes to see a fully staffed satellite of HSD "ac cessible for any client to come in for any service" including information and referrals for other tribal, state and federal agencies, Meyer hopes the programs will enhance what she says is a much needed grassroots sense of community. "I'm hoping this will be a place for tribal members to come in, have a cup of coffee, talk to each other, or use the phone if they need to," Meyer says. "We got to get together in this community. We can't just sit back and let Grand Ronde do it for us. We really should be having things like community picnics we really should know each other." Voc Rehab staff eager to help members Tribal member Jon A. George was recently hired by the Tribe as a Vocational Rehabilitation Spe cialist, working for the HSD to de velop the Portland Outreach office located at 1110 S.E. Alder. The office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If any tribal mem ber in the Portland area would like to stop by for information, you are welcome at any time. There are other programs in the Outreach of fice which may be of help to Port land area members. 1 i 's? J v.ii-
