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APRIL 15, 2021
Smoke Signals
General Council briefed on Housing Department
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals staff writer
Housing Department Manager
Shonn Leno briefed Tribal mem-
bers on the department’s various
programs and accomplishments
during a Sunday, April 11, General
Council meeting held via the Zoom
video conferencing application.
During the meeting, Leno dis-
cussed the department’s various
programs and some challenging as-
pects of delivering services during
a global pandemic.
“It’s been a tough year for ev-
eryone and housing is included in
that, but we have done our best
to continue our mission,” he said.
“Many of you know our mission
statement: We are here to ensure
the membership has safe hous-
ing, which is affordable, promotes
self-sufficiency, Tribal pride and
Tribal spirit. We’re also going to
create additional housing opportu-
nities for Tribal members.”
Leno said that despite a sluggish
economy due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the housing market re-
mained very productive.
“People are still buying and sell-
ing homes,” he said.
The Housing Department pro-
vides Tribal members of all income
levels with up to $10,000 for down
payment assistance on a home, and
serves the membership across the
United States. In 2020, there were
34.5 grants awarded, which includ-
ed 10 low-income grants.
There also were seven home med-
ical adaptation grants, 17 home re-
pair grants and four weatherization
grants awarded.
The home improvement match-
ing grant program continues to be
one of the most popular programs,
Leno said, with 37 grants awarded
in 2020. There is a lifetime cap of
$4,000 and funds can be used for
virtually anything that improves a
home’s value. The applicant is re-
quired to contribute a dollar-for-dol-
lar amount to receive money.
“It’s a pretty wide-open opportu-
nity for Tribal members to increase
the value of their home,” Leno said.
Although down payment and
home improvement grants re-
mained very popular, rental grants
went mostly unused during the
pandemic, Leno said.
“There are just no places avail-
able,” he said. “Obviously during
the pandemic people weren’t mov-
ing and were advised not to move.
They sat unused.”
The Housing Department part-
ners with Yamhill and Polk county
housing authorities to provide
20 units and five units for Grand
Ronde Tribal members, respec-
tively.
Student rental assistance pro-
grams served 115 Tribal members
attending school part- or full-time
with stipends of up to $500 per
month to assist with housing costs.
Leno also discussed how the
pandemic had resulted in the de-
partment mostly offering online
and phone services for things such
as mandatory tenant meetings
and addressing behavioral issues
in housing. Community programs
such as Family Night Out and
the popular Easter egg hunt were
canceled.
“We are a personal program so
having to put everything on an
online platform has been hard for
us,” Leno said. “It’s been a tough
year to give services, but not get to
see anyone we normally get to see.”
New grant opportunities in 2020
from CARES Act funding includ-
ed rental assistance, utility as-
sistance, mortgage assistance,
personal protective equipment for
various departments in the Tribe
and assistance to homeless Tribal
members.
“We are continuing to offer all of
these opportunities to Tribal mem-
bers affected by COVID in 2021,”
Leno said.
He also updated the membership
about current housing construction
projects.
“In 2020, we added two new
four-plex apartments as housing
options,” Leno said. “Also, Tribal
Council authorized housing staff
to proceed with planning and de-
sign for a mixed-income Elders
community, and planning and
development of a home ownership
community.”
The mixed-income Elders com-
munity will be located adjacent
to current Elders housing and in-
clude 36 units to be constructed in
phases, with a goal of construction
to start sometime in 2021.
The home ownership program
has been in the works for a few
years, and Housing Department
officials are hoping construction
can begin this year at the 80-acre
Rink Two property east of the
Grand Meadows manufactured
home subdivision.
Home lots will be roughly 10,000
square feet with approximately
20 homes in the first phase of con-
struction.
“Hopefully, we’ll have more site
work done later this year and possi-
bly a home constructed,” Leno said.
It’s been 23 years since Grand
Meadows, located on Tribal proper-
ty at McPherson and Grand Ronde
roads, opened to Tribal families.
Housing Department officials say
a second development is long over-
due.
The Tribe’s current housing op-
tions typically have occupation
rates of 94 percent or higher and
lack of available market-rate homes
has been a sticking point in Tribal
members moving home to Grand
Ronde and working in the commu-
nity.
Housing Department challenges
included having to clean seven
drug-contaminated units for a total
cost of $151,247 so that the units
could be safely occupied. Another
ongoing issue is the housing wait
list. The longest someone has been
on there is since 2016 waiting for a
vacancy in Elder Housing.
Afterward, Leno fielded eight
questions from the online audi-
ence. Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
A. Kennedy thanked him for the
presentation.
“I know that housing is a big issue
for the Tribe,” she said. “Hopefully,
we are able to address all of the
Tribal member (housing) issues.”
In other action, it was announced
that the next General Council
meeting will be held at 11 a.m.
Sunday, May 2, via Zoom with a
program report from the Tribal
Employment Rights Office. There
is also the possibility that the meet-
ing will include limited in-person
attendance.
Door prize winners were Robert
Wiggs, Simone Auger, Shelley
Sneed, Veronica Gaston and Mike
Portwood, $50 each; and Herbert
Stephens, Faye Smith and Cristina
Lara, $100 each.
The meeting can be viewed by
visiting the Tribal government’s
website at www.grandronde.org
and clicking on the Government tab
and then Videos. 
GRAND RONDE HOUSING DEPARTMENT
Tribal Veterans Service Office Veteran Outreach Event
28450 Tyee Road – Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 – 503-879-2401 – Fax 503-879-5973
*Memorial Day*
ATTENTION ALL HOUSING TENANTS AND GUEST
PLEASE SLOW DOWN IN ELDER HOUSING
Also, please make sure and maintain low levels of music in the Elder community.
Honoring families of Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde Veterans who have walked on…
Let us express our gratitude and pride for those who served; those
who put their lives on the line; and the families who supported
them. We raise our hands to acknowledge and honor the service of
the Veteran in your family and their memory. hayu masi.
To Receive a Memorial Day gift:
1. Be a Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR) Tribal Member or,
a Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde family member with
2. A CTGR Veteran in your family who has made their journey (from any
service era) and,
3. Submit a photo, biography, story, or information about your tribal veteran
and/or their military service by May 21, 2021 (to TVSO office by mail/email) .
(All information submitted is kept confidential and will not be shared).
In return:
The first 100 submissions get to choose one of the following gifts:
 A gardening tool kit for the veterans gravesite (15 available) or,
 A picture frame for the veterans photo (15 available) or,
 A 4x6” American flag with a silk flower (40 available)
 5.5x8” Military Branch flags (a few of each branch, 30 available)

Gift pick up will be during Memorial Day Week. Individuals who sign up will be contacted to set
up a date/time for drive-through pick-up.
Arrangements can be made if you would like your gift mailed.