Smoke Signals
8 APRIL 15, 2001
Proud Tribal Member Holds his Head High, Finds a Home
Once homeless, Larry Risteen is now working and enjoying life again.
By Chris Mercier
Who would have thunk it?
Outside of the sports world, who
would have thought one inch could
make such a grand difference. For
Tribal member Larry Risteen, one
inch means everything.
"I swear I've gained an inch in
height since Spokane," he said.
Three years ago Risteen belonged
to the not so affluent "Second Av
enue Indians," a clique of homeless
men whose namesake derived from
the alley in which they convened just
off of Second Avenue in Spokane,
Washington.
These days, one can find Larry the
Bellman at Spirit Mountain Lodge,
a man of impeccable record, a new
homeowner, and infinitely more con
fident, to which his new height can
be attributed.
"In Spokane I always looked down,"
he explained. "Your self-confidence
and ego are down so much you don't
even want to look people in the eye.
"You get taller when your head's
up," he added.
Risteen's head is certainly held high
as he looks to the future with enviable
optimism, made even more admirable
by his ability to be mindful of the past.
His parents are Gloria (Hudson) and
Robert Risteen, and he was born in Sa
lem 47 years ago, having one brother
and three sisters. His great-grandparents
were Abe and Maude Hudson.
Throughout Larry's life, the Risteen fam
ily drifted around and apart, and he
spent a sizable portion of his life on the
Spokane Reservation or in the vicinity.
In recent years, the Second Av
enue Indians became his family.
Gloria had moved to the Grand
Ronde area and his siblings spread
out. Contact was sporadic, and
Risteen began to slowly succumb to
the rigors of destitution.
"Drugs and alcohol were winning
the battle in my life," he said. "I was
pretty well down and out."
Risteen recalled how his Second
Avenue buddies and he would often
daydream of work, and take a break
from hustling. Hope was elusive and
encountered rarely, and his path to
being one of the legions of invisible
men on the streets was much clearer.
He could pass a mirror and not blink.
"I had a loss of identity," he said.
"I didn't even know who I was."
A well-timed phone call to his
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Dreams Really dO Come True - Tribal member Larry Risteen proudly
displays his new home in Hebo. Risteen migrated to Grand Ronde after spend
ing many years on the Spokane Indian Reservation and the streets of the City
of Spokane. After landing a job at the Spirit Mountain Lodge, Risteen found a
home, reconnected with family members and plans to build a new life.
mother served as an earnest re
minder. Jobs aplenty in Grand
Ronde, just get out of Spokane.
"I just loaded up my car and took
off," he said. "That was all I had."
If there was ever such a thing as a
fresh start, this was it. After dump
ing drugs and alcohol, Risteen en
rolled in classes at Chemeketa Com
munity College, to learn the hospi
tality trade. But he got a head start
on that career, as Spirit Mountain
Lodge announced its near comple
tion. He applied, was accepted, and
on hand opening day.
Risteen's employee record as a
Bellman at the lodge is impeccable,
and his enthusiasm boundless. No
time is needed to grasp just how
much Larry Risteen loves his job.
"My happiness, you know, 90 per
cent of it is my job," he claimed.
"I'm going to retire here," he said.
"I've got a long-term plan here."
That plan will include, among other
things, re-establishing ties with his
family and steadily building a dream
house in Hebo.
"I felt like a lost step-child at first,"
he reflected on his arrival in Grand
Ronde. "I didn't even know most of
my family."
Living a mere half-hour away in
Hebo, Risteen visits his mother fre
quently and habitually meets fam
ily he never even knew he had.
Yet the crowning achievement of
Risteen's young legacy in Grand
Ronde has been, undoubtedly, his
ascension into the ranks of
homeownership. A recently closed
deal through Majestic Mortgage has
left him the proud proprietor of a
lovely, antique cottage overlooking
Three Rivers in Hebo. And, by the
way, he also owns the lot next door.
"I've never really had anything in
my life," he said, up until now.
His pride is understandable. The
two-story house, though old and in
need of work (which will be possible
thanks to the Tribe's $10,000 Home
Improvement Grant he received from
Housing), looks and feels cozily like
a "settle-down" home. Risteen and
his girlfriend Tammy are intent on
just that. The two, who share their
house with Tammy's son, can find
very little to complain about, in ei
ther the house or the town.
The empty lot next door spurs all
manner of brainstorming. He con
siders making a sweat lodge, a tee
pee, or an A-frame house with a hot
tub that can be rented out to fisher
man. The property is only two miles
down the road from a hatchery and
Risteen routinely spots two-foot long
steelhead squirming upstream.
But while Risteen revels in his
newfound life, he still would never
fail to acknowledge those who helped
him get here.
"Camille (Mercier), Mychal (Leno),
Sheila (Herber), Margo Mercier and
everyone at Social Services," he said.
"They all helped me."
"But I'd especially like to thank Liz
Hamilton at Majestic Mortgage," he
said, and waved his arms around the
living room. "She made all this pos
sible." Liz Hamilton, he said, advised him
on how to go about buying the house.
"If you want to get a house like
me," he said. "Go see her, because
she'll set you up."
Risteen wants to make his story
known, because somewhere, some
body will be at what he calls "the
jumping off point."
"They'll see, if this can happen for
me," he claimed. "Then it can hap
pen for anybody."
Mortgage and Small Business Loans Made Easy
Majestic Mortgage, a Portland area firm specializing in creative lending, has positioned
itself as a resource for Indian Housing Authorities.
Liz Hamilton (ChoctawCherokee) works with first time homebuyers, plus debt con
solidation and refinance clients, utilizing the first time homebuyer assistance program
offered to Tribal members under HUD's Indian Housing Block Grant program.
While many lenders struggle with how to structure the NAHASDA grant money
towards down payments, Majestic Mortgage has adopted program guidelines to fund
quickly and efficiently. Despite credit challenges such as bankruptcy, Majestic can
refinance the existing loan and pull cash out for a number of uses, such as debt
consolidation, home improvements, vacation or working capital for a business. Invest
ment properties can either be owner or non-owner occupied.
For self-employed, Majestic has non-income verifying home loans and Small Business
Administration financing available. Most pre-qualifications are done in 24 hours and
there is no charge for the initial call. Majestic Mortgage is an equal opportunity lender,
and can originate home loans in any state where licensing laws allow. Contact Liz at 1-800-579-8222,
ext. 552 or page her at 503-955-0772.
Grand Ronde Recyclers, please remember
our Recycling Depot cannot accept anv
household hazardous waste.
This includes car batteries and motor oil.
Bring household hazardous waste to the
Yamhill County Household Hazardous
Waste Collection Day...
McMINNVILLE
SATURDAY, APRIL 21
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Yamhill Valley Material
Recovery Facility
2200 NE Orchard Ave.
NEWBERG
SUNDAY, APRIL 22
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Newberg Transfer Station
2904 S. Wynooski Rd.
Questions: Yamhill County Solid Waste
www.ycsw.org or 503-434-7445
D Are there household hazardous wastes in my home?
Anything labeled as toxic, flammable, corrosive, reactive, infectious, or radioactive can threaten
personal health and safety and is therefore considered hazardous household waste. Examples: clean
ers, gasoline, motor oil, paint, solvents, swimming pool chemicals and pesticides. These products
contain Ingredients that may cause illness or injury to those who come in contact by breathing the fumes
or from ingesting the product. Injury can show up immediately (acid burns); may be delayed (headache
from a cleaner used an hour earlier); or may be chronic illnesses that develop over a period of years of
exposure to a hazardous chemical or material (asbestos).
Hazardous products placed in the trash may end up leaching from landfills and polluting ground and
surface waters. Burying hazardous products leads to contamination of soils and surface waters.
Burning chemicals may produce toxic fumes and can cause explosions. Pets and wildlife are exposed to
chemicals in ditches. Water and soils are polluted by chemicals leaching into the ground and waterways.
D What can I do to minimize the problem of household hazardous waste?
Begin by choosing the least toxic product available.
Use products in well-ventilated areas and keep containers tightly closed to prevent evaporation.
Avoid using aerosol spray products, the small size of aerosol particles makes it easy for them to be
inhaled deeply into the lungs and quickly absorbed into the blood stream. Aerosol cans are also
highly explosive when exposed to heat or pressure.
Dont assume that all products without warning labels are nontoxic, and dont assume that product
labeled "nontoxic" are completely safe.
ALTERNATIVES
AEROSOL SPRAYS:. Choose manual-pump
products, liquid or paste cleaners, stick or roll-on
deodorants.
AIR FRESHENERS: Open the windows; use
natural potpourri, dried flowers or herbs.
BRASS POLISH: Use Worcestershire sauce.
CARPET DEODORIZER: Sprinkle baking soda
or cornstarch over carpet. Vacuum after 30 min
utes. DRAIN CLEANER: Use a plunger followed by
12 cup baking soda and 12 cup vinegar. Wait 15
minutes, then pour in 2 quarts of boiling water.
Use a plumber's snake for bad clogs.
MOSQUITO REPELLENT: Burn citronella
candles; plant sweet basil around patio and house.
MOTHBALLS: Place cedar chips or lavender,
rosemary, mint sachets among clothes. Store
clothes clean and in airtight containers. Moth eggs
can be killed by running the item through the dryer.
PAINT BRUSH SOFTENER: Soak in hot vin
egar. SILVER POLISH: Soak 10 to 15 minutes in 1
quart warm water, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1
teaspoon salt and a small piece of aluminum foil.
Wipe with soft cloth.
WINDOW CLEANER: Mix 2 tablespoons white
vinegar to 1 quart water.