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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1999)
Smoke Signals New housing project will allow Eiders to be close to home Continued from front page to apply for one of the units is not complicated. Langley works specifi cally with applicants and works on getting members qualified for the various housing assistance the Tribe offers through the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority. Langley said the first step for El ders to take is to submit an applica tion with current house hold income verification and get on the waiting list. Currently, the maxi mum annual income limit for Elders to qualify is $26,800 for one person and $30,600 for two people. Langley said some figures could change due to changing HUD requirements but they will not be signifi cant. Langley wants El ders to know the an nual income figures are maximums and not minimums. HUD also requires the Elders' pension of $500 a month must be counted into the income equation. Langley said the $6,000 annual Elder pension figure can be deducted when rent adjustments are totaled. The rent amount will be 30 percent of the applicant's adjusted income. The maximum rent is currently set at $299 plus the cost of utilities for Elders who qualify for the housing. There are currently 50 Elders on the waiting list right now for 38 units, but not all of the people on the list will qualify, Langley said. "I want to try and encourage any interested Elders to submit an appli cation," said Langley. "According to HUD guidelines, we will give prior ity to Elders who are 62 and over. We will go by the order of the date of the applications of those who are 62 and over first. Once we have all those people qualified then we will qualify Elders 55 to 62 years of age next." Langley said he enjoys the satis faction of knowing the Elders are go ing to get homes in the community. "It is neat to see the excitement on some of the Elders' faces, especially when they see the affordability of the units and the design of the unit's lay outs," said Langley. "They just beam and they can't wait to get in. It is 1 ':-!i'r V "1 . ! fATW j ir-cjuy-r ! mhh pi I , -l I "" T 7"H U'-rxii'-r v . I , w I CAJtHMIT I JA ..... ..vJ rocH I I ' L . ; B y I FLOOR PLAN really rewarding." "I think a lot of our Elders have waited a long time," said Tribal Coun cil member Val Grout of the Elders' housing project finally coming to frui tion. "I feel real good about it and I think our Elders feel real good about it too. It just seems like it took so many years to get here." Grout said she understands why the housing took so long to get un derway. "There were a lot of water and sewer issues that needed to be worked through before we could get started on the Elders' housing," said Grout. "You have to jump through so many hoops now to build any thing. When I was a kid, if you wanted to build something, you just dug it out and got started." Grout said the issue of Elders' hous ing is an important one. She said El ders deserve to be treated with dig nity as often as possible. "My feeling is that, during Termi nation, our Elders went without for so long," said Grout. "We're going to be here for a long time, but our El ders aren't going to be. To me, I v X r ( . i J 4 v ' V J I ,,;4" : . 'a -9' : ft I ' i Occupancy Specialist Bryan Langley says helping Elders with their housing needs is a favorite part of his job. Here, he shows a floor plan and the artist's rendering of the Elders housing development. Photos by Brent Merrill would rather see our Elders taken care of now because our young people have years yet to reap the benefits. Our Elders don't." Grout said it is payback time for tribal Elders who suffered through the indignities of termination and ev erything that came with it. "During Restoration, it was our Elders that helped get the Tribe re stored by doing their bake sales and by giving what little money they could to pay for gas to go to meet ings and to go around and get sup port for Restoration," said Grout of Elder's contributions. "If there were any needs, it was our Elders who were there. They were the ones who brought the food to feed people and we need to respect our Elders and do everything we can for them while we still can." Tribal Council member June Sell Sherer believes the Elders' housing project is very important. "I think it is something that is long overdue," said Sell-Sherer. "I think that our Elders need to be taken care of in their last years. A lot of them have not had an easy life. They need to know that their tribal members, their young people, and all the Tribe cares about them and wants to see them live out their final years with out having to worry about where they are going to live and where they are going to eat." Sell-Sherer said one of the aspects of the housing program that she likes is having the Elders living in the area where many of them grew up and lived most of their lives. "They are at the base of their home," said Sell-Sherer of the Grand Ronde Elders. "They are in territory they find much more accessible for community events and services the Tribe offers. It is easier for the El ders if they live here to get to meals and to the clinic and because many have transportation problems. This is where their roots are. This is where their friends are and this is the focal point of the community." "I think the Tribe has come a long ways," said Grout of the Tribe's progress towards housing Elders. "We have always been a part of the community, but now we are more visible." i .4 - - .f V V.'., . f " . . L . -T. V Elder Leonard Vivette won two prizes at the Restoration Celebration. Photo by Tracy Dugan Members celebrate Restoration Continued from front page BIA in Portland, was also at the celebration, and spoke briefly to tribal members. "I know it took a lot of hard work for you to get to that very special day on November 22. It's something you have celebrated," he said. "It is very close to the year 2000. As you look back on this century, you will see the events that most impacted you." Speaks cited Termination, Restoration, self-governance agreement, and the gaming compact as significant events for the Grand Ronde Tribe. He said that Grand Ronde was only the second tribe in the Northwest to become recognized, and that other tribes could become recognized as a result of what Grand Ronde had already accomplished. "You have created a tribal community," he said. "The name of Grand Ronde is known throughout the country today. Because you have come so far in such a short period of time. You have helped pave the way for other tribes." As for the next century, Speaks said that Grand Ronde's active membership will de termine where Grand Ronde will be in 50 years. "There are certain things every tribe must have," he said. "A strong link to culture, education, and a strong government. Every tribe needs good leadership. Grand Ronde has that." The celebration concluded with a mini pow-wow, announced by Les Houck.
