16
S moke S ignals
april 1, 2014
House has been three years in coming
HOUSE continued
from front page
sit in piles on the counters, ready
to be stowed away. One can almost
smell it in the glass canisters just
waiting for chocolate chip cookies.
One can feel it on the play structure
out back and from the porch that
overlooks it.
The smell of hope is in the new
chairs and sofas, new cabinets, the
pillows and mattresses that are
much thicker than they need to be.
One can almost taste it in the
new pantries filled with food. One
can feel it in the living room, see
it along the kitchen table for 12 or
so; imagine it in the two television
rooms, one for children, one for
moms; and on the double decker
beds, looking through the bay
window, taking off your shoes in
the mud room with the long, low
freezer in it.
One can imagine it in the support
counselor’s room fitted with a Mur-
phy bed for nights the counselor has
to stay over.
Nelson and Youth Mental Health/
Alcohol and Drug Counselor Nicole
Estrada, Mental Health Counselor
Jan Kaschmitter, Alcohol and Drug
Counselor Karan Scharf and Sec-
retary Nadine Burt had six hours
(two hours on each of three succes-
sive Wednesdays) to put the place
together.
The house has been three years in
coming. The effort included consult-
ing with other programs, applying
for and receiving grants for the
building and operation of the facil-
ity, purchasing all the furnishings
and “getting everybody on board
and making sure we were doing ev-
erything correctly,” said Nelson.
When the project started, 16
women in Grand Ronde and the
surrounding area needed a place to
stay. Some were referred out to pro-
grams in Salem and McMinnville;
some left the program and the area
to find housing; and some were able
to couch surf with the kindness of
friends and relatives.
When women emerge from prison
or residential drug and alcohol
programs, as they continue to do
almost without end, many from the
Tribe or descendants of those from
the Tribe and the larger Indian
community will come here, some
with children, to start over.
The program expects the women
to become independent, said Nel-
son, and to learn skills that they
never learned or learned and have
forgotten. They need to re-learn
the skills to be independent, and,
in many cases, to be reunited with
their children, to find their own
housing and employment.
“When you are released,” said
Estrada, “you don’t know what
your next move is. I really hope
this home will give them hope
and something to strive for. Some
people have never had a safe, beau-
tiful home to live in, so they can’t
imagine the possibilities. I hope
this gives them that as they take
the next step in their lives.”
For the first nine to 12 months, as
many as five women but no children
will inaugurate the place. Later,
the rest of the rooms will open up,
said Nelson, after staff becomes
accustomed with operating the
facility.
The program will be a wonder
of decisions based on individual
needs. On a case-by-case basis,
women alone and with children
will be selected to live in the home
and be given a length of time that
they will be expected to move on
with skills needed for independent
living, Nelson said.
While there, women will pay
rent of $350 or 30 percent of their
income, whichever is less.
Plans for the program continue
to evolve.
“One idea,” said Estrada, “was
collaborating with the counselor,
a position still unfilled, to start a
parenting skills group at the new
home.” The idea comes from a
facility in Portland, one of many
places where the program is find-
ing ideas.
“Whenever I go to a training,”
Estrada said, “I listen to the ideas
and wonder, ‘How could we use
that here?’ ”
Construction costs totaling
$751,489 were all grant funded.
Specifically, the project received an
Indian Community Development
block grant of $500,000 for design
and construction; Indian Housing
block grant funding of $167,000 for
design and construction; Adminis-
tration for Native Americans Social
& Economic Strategies grant fund-
ing of more than $100,000 for reno-
vation, equipment and furnishings;
and a U.S. Department of Justice
grant for $88,188 also for renova-
tion, equipment and furnishings.
The Justice Department also just
funded the program again for this
fall, this time a three-year Indian
Alcohol Substance Abuse grant
supporting counselor staff time and
some supplies and training for a
combined total of $234,550.
No financial investment was re-
quired by the Tribe.
Many Tribal, state and federal
departments participated in the
building and the ongoing needs
of the program. They include En-
gineering and Public Works, Be-
havioral Health, Social Services,
the Tribal Historic Preservation
Office, Telecommunications, In-
formation Systems, Facilities and
Procurement, said Tribal Engineer
Jesse White, who was the project
manager.
The project included a full renova-
tion of an existing house to improve
energy efficiency and to bring it into
compliance with the Americans
With Disabilities Act.
Construction included expansion
of an existing 2,000-square-foot
residence by 2,135 square feet,
bringing the total facility square
footage to 4,135, including sleeping
areas, a laundry room and restroom
facilities.
Wiring, plumbing, finishes and
appliances were updated and new
windows installed. The one-story
addition blends in with the exist-
ing house in both materials and
appearance. Utility improvements
included the installation of a higher
capacity water line, installation of
a natural gas connection, increased
electrical capacity and the decom-
missioning of an existing septic
system.
Site work included creating a
small paved parking area, an off-
street turnaround, perimeter fenc-
ing, ramp access to the main floor,
garden space, a small storage shed
and trash enclosure, play equip-
ment and drought-resistant land-
scaping.
The contractor was Native Ameri-
can-owned company Advanced
Native Construction. The architect
was Portland-based Sarah Cantine
with Scott/Edwards Architecture.
With input from the Land and
Culture Department, the house has
been named Chxi-san (New Day),
and during opening ceremonies
from 1 to 3 Tuesday, April 1, de-
partment employees will be there
to bless the new house. n
Grand Ronde Low-Income
Home Energy Assistance Program
The Grand Ronde Tribe is
operating its own Low-Income
Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP) to assist
Grand Ronde Tribal member
households with energy
payments (utility bills,
firewood, etc.), energy
emergencies and weatherization
(e.g. furnace repairs). Income
eligible households within Polk, Yamhill,
Marion, Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties with a
Grand Ronde Tribal member are eligible to apply. CTGR members in
these counties need to contact Grand Ronde to receive assistance
instead of from the community action agency in their area. Grand
Ronde’s program enables more CTGR members to be served than
would otherwise have been possible.
If you are interested in obtaining services contact Social Services at
1-800-242-8196 for energy assistance and the Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority at 503-879-2405 for weatherization. The Tribe’s
LIHEAP program also serves all income eligible Indians on Grand
Ronde Reservation or trust land.
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