Smoke Signals 3
JULY 15, 2003
eople Can Start Coming Home"
Tribe's new housing dedicated with ceremony, tour.
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ByPetaTinda
The first phase in a longtime Tribal plan to pro
vide quality affordable housing for Tribal members
was officially enacted with the dedication of the new
36 unit Tribal housing development in Grand Ronde,
on Thursday, June 26, 2003.
Its name, "Chxi Musam Illihi," means "A New
Sleeping Place," in Chinuk wawa.
"I think that we finally achieved a goal that we set
many years ago about building nice housing for
Tribal members," said Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Authority Chair
Tim Holmes.
Even before resto
ration, Holmes said,
Tribal members ex
pressed their need of
quality housing.
"We tried to build
it to promote a sense
of community," said
Holmes. "And also
to provide an oppor
tunity for Indian
people to be a part of
the greater Tribal
community."
There has always
been a chronic short
age of housing in In
dian Country and
Grand Ronde is no ex
ception. Over 100
Tribal members ap
plied for the 36 avail
able homes. The
Tribal Housing Au
thority is acutely
aware of this fact and
has plans to build two
more similar housing
developments in the
near future.
"It's just one piece
in a bigger picture,"
said Holmes.
Tribal members could be moving into their new
homes as soon as July 16, said Tribal Housing De
velopment and Construction Coordinator Duane
Hussey. Since the complex is intended for low-income
families, a resident's rent will not exceed 30
percent of their income. The housing complex was
funded entirely with United States Housing and
Urban Development grants.
It is made up of mostly single and duplex houses,
grouped around a covered central meeting place with
a fire pit and a toddler playground.
Each house has its own carport, fenced back yard
and individual deck patio with roof.
All of the houses are equipped with new Kenmore
washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges and refrig
erators. Handicapped accessibility was designed into the
entire complex. The homes are all one story, elimi
nating the need for steps. All of the doorways are at
least 36 inches wide, for wheelchairs. Two of the
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No Longer A Dream The central meeting pavilion, around which the Tribe's new 36- unit housing development was
designed. The new homes are arranged in a circular pattern around the pavilion, which is just one of the many features of the
new development. Its name, "Chxi Musam Illihi," means "A New Sleeping Place," in Chinuk. Construction was completed 3
months ahead of schedule, which means that Tribal members could start moving into their new homes as soon as July 16.
houses are entirely handicapped equipped with hand
rails and lowered counters.
There are many bike and footpaths throughout,
to better connect the residents with each other. In
addition, there are several split cedar benches along
the paths.
Also included nearby is a large community play
ground for people and their families to use and sev
eral wooded park-like areas with oak trees.
The homes were designed from the outset to be
very energy efficient, with gas heating and double
pane windows. They also have radiant floor heating,
where hot water from the water heater is pumped
through a seamless, continuous tube, embedded in
the concrete. Since the system uses fresh water, it
increases the amount of hot water available to resi
dents by several times over a conventional water
heater. The system also saves energy and makes
for a nice warm floor in the winter.
To ease the burden on the local municipal water
supply, all of the rainwater that falls on the complex
is collected and stored
in an adjacent 90,000
gallon uh'derground
storage tank. The wa
ter will then be used
for landscaping and ir
rigation. The hous
ing complex has
broad, well-lit streets
and sidewalks.
The attractive
countryside setting,
with its spectacular
views of Spirit Moun
tain and the Grand
Ronde Valley, ap
pealed to many.
"It's so nature-like,"
said Marcella
Norwest, one of the
Tribal members on
the waiting list for the
new housing.
Norwest applied for a
5-bedroom house for
her and her four
grandchildren, but
wasn't sure if she met
the requirements.
Still, she said, she
was hopeful that her
application would be
accepted.
"It looks like it
would be a good place to bring kids up. There's no
traffic, and that's good. I think that this will help
everybody to get to know everyone better," said
Norwest. "It will be good change for Tribal families,
and for the future."
Many who were present at the dedication expressed
the same sentiment. Tribal Elder Norma Lee was
there and had this to say:
"We waited a long time for this," said Lee. "I'm
real proud of what they've been doing for the
people. . .I'm glad people can start coming home."
New Housing Director Ready To Listen, Work
Carrina Kistler Ginter will focus on housing expansion, but she can probably change your oil too.
By Peta Tinda
Carrina Kistler Ginter is the new Tribal Hous
ing Executive Director for the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Originally from Minnesota, she escaped the
30-below winters and moved to sunny Califor
nia, where she worked for various non-profit and
low-income housing organizations for 22 years.
To relax, she raced a tuned-up 1970 Datsun 510,
and was a 5-time regional autocross champion.
"It was my own wrench," she said. "I did all
the work on it. It had Weber carbs and 14-inch
mag wheels. It was a blast."
And she still hasn't slowed down. Already her
schedule is full of meetings, planning sessions
and all of the organizing that goes into running
a large department like the Housing Authority
smoothly. Which is exactly what she does best.
"It's constantly a different thing, every day,"
Gintler said. "But it all leads to the needs of the
Tribal Housing Authority, which is decided by
the needs of the
Tribal mem
bers." She brings
practical experi
ence working
with Tribal
housing from
her previous po
sition as Hous
ing Director for
the Nooksack Tribe in Washington, where she
worked for 5 years.
"It's the same job, but on a bigger scale with
more developed programs," Gintler said.
She replaces former Executive Director Linda
Layden, who she often networked with while on
the board of the Northwest Indian Housing As
sociation. Her main goal as the new Executive Director,
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she said, is to provide affordable housing and
home-improvement options for Tribal members.
She also said that her focus has always been on
Tribal families with children and Tribal Elders.
"I need to do a lot of listening," she said.
For the near future, Gintler said that she
would like to see the Housing Authority work
more closely with the Tribal Social Services De
partment. "We're putting a lot of planning into our Fam
ily Self Sufficiency Plan, which is a program
designed by public housing to fulfill all the needs
of the family, everything from the housing, to
the child services, to the job creation aspect...
and Social Services is a large piece of it."
Ginter said she would like to expand and im
prove existing Tribal housing developments, seek
additional sources of HUD funding for roads and
infrastructure, and continue the development of
additional housing for Tribal members.