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APRIL 1, 2023
9
Facebook Live concentrates on Tribal housing projects
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde9s myriad efforts to
provide housing to its members was
the topic of the orst Facebook Live
event held in 2023 on Wednesday,
March 22.
Moderated by Tribal Council Vice
Chair Chris Mercier, the 43-min-
ute session featured Housing De-
partment Manager Shonn Leno,
Engineering & Planning Manager
Ryan Webb and Health Services
Executive Director Kelly Rowe
brieong approximately 60 viewers
on Tribal efforts to provide housing
and combat homelessness.
Leno said Tribal Housing cur-
rently has 85 people on waiting
lists for either market rate, low-in-
come or Elder housing availability.
The largest waiting lists are for
those seeking one-bedroom units
with 40 people and those seeking
Elder housing with 30 people 55
or older.
Webb then provided an overview
of the Tribal projects currently
underway or proposed to address
those waiting for housing.
The Creekside Elder Housing
project at the southwest corner of
Hebo and Grand Ronde roads will
include 24 energy-efficient units
that are two-bedroom, one-bath
homes of about 1,100 square feet
each. Six of the units are designat-
ed for low-income Elders and the
other 18 are market rate.
Webb said the first Creekside
units will be complete in May and
they all should be available for oc-
cupancy by September.
The Tribe9s home ownership proj-
ect at the east end of McPherson
Road in Grand Ronde is proceeding
with 20 single-family homes being
built, Webb said. Five of the homes
are being constructed by Tribal
members with mortgage onancing
and 15 are being built by the Tribe
after Tribal Council approved a
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
The Creekside Elder Housing project under construction at the southwest
corner of Hebo and Grand Ronde roads was discussed during the Facebook
Live event held on Wednesday, March 22. The first Creekside units will
be complete in May and they all should be available for occupancy by
September.
$6.85 million contract with Schol-
ten Construction of Willamina on
Feb. 22.
Later during the event, Webb
said he still needs to discuss with
Tribal Council whether the 15
Tribally built homes will be rented
or sold.
Leno said that anyone interested
in building a house as part of the
home ownership project should
contact the Housing Department,
which will then forward the Tribal
member9s contact information to
the Salem mortgage company that
the Tribe is working with.
Webb added that the second
phase of the home ownership proj-
ect will see the remaining 32 sin-
gle-family homes built.
For non-Elder Tribal members
who don9t need a house, the Wind
River Apartments off Tyee Road
will continue to be built. Webb
said that future four-unit apart-
ment buildings will feature more
one-bedroom units to house single
Tribal members.
Webb said that the Tribe plans to
build 10 more apartment buildings
and, depending on federal funding,
as many as 15 for a total of 60
apartments or more.
He added that the long-awaited
indoor-outdoor resident/recreation
center will be built opposite the cur-
rent Tribal Housing Department
ofoces and that numerous public
meetings will be held regarding the
center9s amenities once a contractor
is hired.
Leno added that the Tribe also is
working with the Housing Authori-
ty of Yamhill County on its planned
175-unit Stratus Village apartment
complex that will be built near
Willamette Valley Medical Center
in McMinnville.
Under the arrangement, 25 of
the Stratus Village units will be
under Tribal control to house Tribal
members, Leno said.
Finally, Rowe discussed the tiny
shelters that the Tribe purchased
and erected between the Tribal
Police Department and the Food
Bank on the west side of Grand
Ronde Road.
Rowe said the units filled up
quickly and there is currently a
waiting list. A second tiny shelter
site will be located near the old
community garden in Grand Ronde.
To qualify for the tiny shelters,
a person must be a Grand Ronde
Tribal member, spouse or parent
of a Tribal member.
<We9ve had a lot of feedback from
the guests who are very thankful
for being able to ond this shelter
and not be living in their vehicles
or in tents,= Rowe said.
The three representatives oelded
about seven questions from the
Facebook Live audience.
<There9s a big effort and a lot
of support from Tribal Council to
really push getting those wait lists
down and building more housing for
the community,= Webb said.
Mercier concluded the event by
saying that he still backs a Tribally
subsidized grocery store in Grand
Ronde. Even though it did not pen-
cil out onancially when a feasibility
study was conducted about eight
years ago, he said he would not be
averse to re-examining the issue.
<I still like the idea of a grocery
store,= Mercier said. <I know too
many people get their food from
convenience stores, and there9s a
reason they are called convenience
stores. It is convenience and it9s
certainly not the price that you
get a bargain on there. There9s
nothing to stop us from evaluating
again whether the community can
support a grocery store. I think one
deserves the right to have access to
healthy food that won9t break your
wallet.=
To watch the entire Facebook
Live event, visit the Tribal govern-
ment9s Facebook page or search
for <Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde= on the website. þ
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