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Meet the two new Housing Authority members
By Brent Merrill
JUNE 15, 2000
Whitecloud lends her experience
to Tribal Housing Authority
Parazoo looks to future, likes what he sees
After years of serving on the Pow
wow Committee, the Election Board
and the helping the Fish and Wild
life Committee re-write their ordi
nance, Tribal member Dakota White
cloud has settled into a new role with
the Tribe's Housing Authority.
Whitecloud is one of the two new
members of the Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority's Board of Direc
tors. She said she got involved with
the authority in 1994 when it was
still a working group looking at the
Tribe's housing options.
"They were looking for people to
help the Tribe decide what the hous
ing program's mission statement
would be," said Whitecloud of her
initial involvement. "So, they put
together this housing group. I think
there was nine of us. We helped de
fine the mission statement and some
goals that the Housing Authority
wanted to accomplish and we dis
cussed some of the types of housing
they wanted to do."
Touring other reservations and
looking at their housing programs
gave the Tribe ideas on how to get
started on their own project, said
Whitecloud.
"We looked at all kinds of things
from the types of units to different
forms of construction," said White
cloud of the reasons for touring other
reservations.
She said she learned a lot from
former Tribal Executive Officer Jim
Willis. She said he taught her to look
towards the future when making im
portant decisions.
"The one thing he taught me was
that it is a good thing to look at things
as they could be a year from now or
five years from now," said Whitecloud.
"But, if you really want to look to the
future, you've got to look 15, 20, 30,
40, 50 years out. You have to ask
yourself; 'how much of what we do
today is still going to be here?'"
Whitecloud said she believes in
helping Tribal members outside of
Grand Ronde, but she said she
thinks the local population should
come first.
"I have always felt that whatever
we did as a Tribe to provide opportu
nity for people outside the Six County
Service Area or outside the local area
was a big plus," said Whitecloud.
"But, first and foremost, to me at
least, we have to think about here.
We have to think about our home
land first."
She said she sees her job as a Hous
ing Authority member as sharing in
formation and trying to open the pro
cess up for easier access to those who
need it.
"As a housing commissioner, it is
my responsibility to provide informa
tion to people," said Whitecloud. "It
is my job to be available to people if
they have concerns or questions or
they just want to talk to somebody
Dakota Whitecloud
about the program in general. Then,
I think we need to be able to answer
those questions. It is our responsi
bility to be able to provide informa
tion to people if they ask for it. It is
an obligation and a responsibility.
"I want to preserve our traditional
lifestyle. It is who we are," said
Whitecloud. "It has got to stay here.
It's got to remain."
Whitecloud gets excited when the
subject turns to the Elder's housing
project.
"It is another dream that has come
true that nobody thought would,"
said Whitecloud. "I think it is a big
step in the right direction. I think it
is something that the Elders have
needed for a long time. I want to see
our Elders have a place to live that
is comfortable, safe and more than
anything affordable for them because
a lot of the Elders don't have a whole
lot. Whatever we can do to help
them have a nice place to live, I think
we need to do that."
She said she realizes the issue of
water availability is going to be
around at least for a while. She said
an alternative water source is needed.
"Infrastructure has always been a
problem here," said Whitecloud who
has been back in the Grand Ronde
community since 1989. "And, it is
not a problem that is going to go
away. I think that whatever resource
we have to secure additional water
supplies should be looked at. And, I
believe they are being looked at. I
think that Council is very much
aware that water is a problem, has
been a problem and is going to be a
problem. I think the Council and the
Housing Authority both are looking
at other options. Whether that be
tapping into springs on Tribal land
or drilling wells. Those are poten
tials and I think we need to pursue
any alternative that is cost effective.
I think there are options out there
that are viable. And I think they
should be pursued to make sure that
we have alternate water sources."
Whitecloud, who has three adult
children, comes from a big family.
Her great, great grandfather was
Chief Joseph Shangretta. Her
grandmother was Teresa Holmes
and her mother was Pearl McGee.
Her father was Kenneth Ames and
her children are Christina, Kenneth
and Cynthia.
Tribal member Monty Parazoo was
looking for a way to be involved in
the Tribe.
His experience as the chairman of
his condominium board of direc tors
led him to pursue a position with the
Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Au
thority. Since joining the board earlier this
year, Parazoo has attended three
meetings and two training sessions to
get acquainted with his new duttes.
"That was real interesting," said
Parazoo of his training in Portland
and Warm Spring's Kah-Nee-Tah.
"One of the things I learned is you
have to have patience when dealing
with Housing and Urban Develop
ment. Nothing happens very
quickly. It takes some patience be
cause there is a lot of hurdles that
you have to go over. Also, I could
see that there is going to be a lit of
rewards too."
Parazoo feels the Elder's housing is
a big bonus for the Tribal community.
"We're getting close to people mov
ing into the Elder Housing," ssaid
Parazoo. "That is going to be a real
thrill to actually see people moving
in.
"I think it is really great," said
Parazoo. "I think that (our Elders)
was the obvious place to start. It is
coming out real nice."
Parazoo said he is proud of the
Housing Authority's willingness to
help physically challenged Tribal
members secure remodeling funds
for their homes and he said he I kes
the idea of turning lifelong renters
into first-time homeowners.
"One thing that I have seen,
through things like the down pay
ment program we have, is we have
the ability to change people's lives
for the better," said Parazoo. "To
change somebody from a renter to a
homeowner is a magical thing be
cause they look at their whole life dif-
(
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Monty Parazoo
ferently. I think that is one of the
things that the Tribe can do for its
members. It makes probably the big
gest difference to them of anything
that we do. The more people that we
can make homeowners the better
off that everybody is going to be."
Homeownership, and the rewards
that can go with it, changes the way
people view themselves, said Parazoo.
"It changes the way your kids think
too when you get a house. For the
next generation, we hope it is the
norm rather than the exception to be
homeowners."
The future looks bright to Parazoo.
"I think that the future is just re
ally exciting," said Parazoo. "There
are a lot of things to do. There is a
lot of houses to build on the reserva
tion and then also getting houses built
for people no matter where they live.
So, I'm really looking forward to the
future."
Parazoo said he appreciates the
work done by previous board mem
bers, especially the work of past
Chairman Bob Watson.
"They (past board members) have
done a marvelous job," said Parazoo.
"They have everything structured
and set up in such a way that those
of us that are coming in now we
don't have to go through all the hard
things they went through. They did
a real good job setting things up."
Vou are Invited:
Jiag Dedication Ceremony
snaay, yune jutn
1:30 to 2:00 pm
L 1 ,
Qrand Meadows
Manufactured
Home Subdivision
I Veterans Color Guard Presiding
Carpooling is encouraged
due to limited parking
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3J ir