10
Smoke Signals
Down Payment Assistance is available, waiting list short
Tribal Housing Program can help anywhere in the Continental United States.
By Brent Merrill
The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Authority's Down Payment Assis
tance program is helping families
change their lives. And, if you are a
Tribal member living anywhere in the
Continental United States, you may
qualify to change your life as well.
"One of the reasons we want this
information about the Tribe's Down
Payment Assistance program to be
shared with everyone is because
there seems to be some misconcep
tion about where this program is
available," said Housing Authority
Director Linda Layden. "When we
did our recent housing survey we
had a lot of comments from people
who said I think you should make
this program available no matter
where people live in the U.S. and it
is, and it has been, for a few years
now, but people don't know that. So,
we want to let them know that this
program is available throughout the
Continental U.S."
Layden explained that the Down
Payment Assistance program is for
first-time homebuyers. She said it is
also important to emphasize that
there is a short waiting list.
"The program is going through the
waiting list quickly," said Layden.
"There may still be a few grants avail
able this year for Tribal member ap
plicants who meet the requirements."
Tribal Housing Specialist Bryan
Langley explained that the waiting
list is based on the date a completed
application is received.
"The sooner people get their appli
cation in the sooner they will be con
sidered," said Langley.
Langley said he is currently work
ing with all 70 applicants on the list,
so the waiting list is short.
The amount of the down payment
assistance is a maximum of $10,000
and recipients must be able to con
tribute $1,000 of their own money
towards earnest money, closing costs
or other purchase expenses. The
maximum annual household income
cannot exceed $65,000.
According to program guidelines,
recipients must agree to stay in their
home for five years or repay the grant.
Layden and Langley also want to
stress to Tribal members that past
credit problems will not exclude
Tribal members for consideration.
The Housing Authority is set up to
help people get over those credit
hurdles.
"One of the things that I think hin
ders people from home ownership is
that they think they have bad credit,"
said Langley. "But, without actually
going and getting a copy of their
credit report they don't really know.
We can pull copies of credit reports
at no cost to the applicant and work
with people on their budgeting."
Langley also explained that recipi
ents must attend a first-time
homebuyer's education class. The
class can be one sponsored by the
Housing Authority or a private mort
gage company.
"The class covers the homeowner
process from A to Z," said Langley.
"They walk you through everything.
They cover what happens your re
sponsibility as a homeowner after you
actually finish the process. They point
out things like being responsible for
your own home's maintenance. You
don't call the landlord anymore."
"We will try to work with people,"
said Layden. "We will pull a free
credit report and see what they have
on there. We can see if we can help
them resolve some of those issues. We
have had people who did not think
that they would qualify for the pro
gram due to poor credit who have suc
cessfully participated in the program."
Langley also points out that no
credit is not bad credit.
"One of the things that people get
confused with too is that they think
that if they don't have any credit that
is like having bad credit. Which is
not the case," said Langley.
"We can do non-traditional credit
references like rent," said Layden.
"We can check their landlord pay
ment history and utility bills."
Tribal member Sharon Grout re
cently received Down Payment As
sistance and for the first time she
now owns her own home.
"I still can't believe this happened,"
said Grout who is a single parent.
"But, it is so exciting to walk in to my
new home and think T can do what
ever I want.' It was just a really
wonderful feeling."
Grout said she wants to encourage
other Tribal members to try.
"It was something that I never
thought would ever happen," said
Grout. "I thought I would give it a
shot, but I didn't have much hope of
it happening."
Grout said the housing staff helped
her through the process.
"I didn't have to hardly do any
thing," said Grout. "They really took
care of me."
So, put aside the myth that you
have to live in Grand Ronde to
qualify for the Tribe's down payment
assistance program.
"More out-of-state deals have closed
this year than in-state," said Langley.
BBDft
Elder housing opportunities
in Grand Ronde still available:
D Affordable rental units at the Elders Housing Development
D 3 lots available for lease to Elders at Grand Meadows
For more information, please contact Bryan Langley at 879-2467
OgjEDQ tiWiiliililHy
I
OPENING IN AUGUST
"My Blue Heaven"
A.F.H.
Loving care for our Elders
Adult Foster Care by Carol Sharp, CHR, CNA
" would love to take care of 1-4 of our Elders,
I would bring them to cultural activities."
(503) 606-3143
formerly "Weston Care Home"
1251 Hemlock Loop
Independence, OR
Smoke Signals, Attn: Justin Phillips -9615
Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347
I OLD ADDRESS:
I
NEW ADDRESS:
I
I
I GRAND RONDE ROLL :
Senior Services Advisory Council
seeks new members
The Mid-Willamette Valley Senior
Services Agency Advisory Council is
a 23-member volunteer group that
advises the Boar d of Directors about
senior concerns and helps plan and
monitor the delivery of services to
seniors in Marion, Polk and Yamhill
Counties. Currently, the Advisory
Council has Marion County vacan
cies and is accepting applications for
future vacancies in Polk and Yamhill
Counties.
To fill the current openings, the
advisory council is looking for volun
teers from Marion County who are
senior citizens, age 60 or older, ser
vice providers to older adults, local
elected officials, or representatives of
ethnic minority groups.
Advisory council members attend
monthly meetings where local, state
and federal items of concern are pre
sented and discussed, leading to the
formation of recommendations to the
agency's Executive Director and
Board of Directors. Though the
board of directors has final author
ity to make policy decisions, it val
ues, and usually follows the recom
mendations made by advisory coun
cil members, as they represent the
interests of older adults residing in
the tri-county area.
Council members also serve on ad
visory council subcommittees; some
to advocate to lawmakers for needed
services or funds, others to make rec
ommendations about service deliv
ery, program quality, or prospective
council membership. Council mem
bers are appointed for a two-year
term.
For more information about serv
ing on Mid-Willamette Valley Senior
Service Agency's Advisory Council,
call (503) 304-3473. For information
about the agency's services for senior
citizens visit their headquarters in
Salem at 3410 Cherry Avenue NE
or call (503) 304-3400 or 1-800-469-8772.
Information is also available
on-line at: www.open.orgmwvssa.