Tribal Council OKs 2019 Indian Housing Plan

Tribal Council approved the 2019 Indian Housing Plan during its Wednesday, Oct. 10, meeting that will bring the Tribe approximately $6.68 million in federal funds.

During the Tuesday, Oct. 9, Legislative Action Committee meeting, Housing Department Manager Shonn Leno and Administrative Program Manager Joan Dugger briefed Tribal Council on the funding plans for 2019.

Among the projects planned for next year are:

• $107,942 to operate, administer and maintain 20 Elder housing units;

• $476,291 to operate and maintain 148 assisted rental units;

• $1 million to build an additional eight one- and two-bedroom apartments;

• $221,217 to fund 20 Down Payment Assistance Grants that average $10,000 each;

• $276,889 to provide approximately 30 home repair and medical adaptation grants for up to $10,000 each to Tribal members living throughout the country;

• $210,259 to rehabilitate an estimated 10 housing units contaminated by drug use;

• $105,461 to rehabilitate an estimated five rental housing units;

• $250,000 to provide rental assistance to an estimated 25 eligible families through area public housing authorities;

• $482,651 to fund student rental assistance for approximately 150 enrolled Tribal members nationwide;

• $55,547 to provide housing services to Tribal members;

• $301,564 to fund crime prevention activities in Tribal housing;

• $167,000 to provide a match for the Behavioral Health Center addition;

• $167,000 to provide a match for the Early Childhood Education preschool addition;

• $1 million for a resident’s center adjacent to the apartment complex development;

• And $1 million to develop Elders low-income housing.

Leno said that $1.9 million in federal housing funds allocated to the Tribe are distributed directly to Tribal members.

The Tribe’s Indian Housing Plan is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development no later than Oct. 18.

In other action, Tribal Council also approved the enrollment of seven infants into the Tribe because they meet the requirements outlined in the Enrollment Ordinance and Tribal Constitution.

Also included in the Oct. 10 Tribal Council packet was an approved authorization to proceed to move forward with a constitutional amendment vote that would allow the enrollment of applicants who have enrolled brothers or sisters by the same Tribal parent(s) who were enrolled before Sept. 14, 1999, and who meet the pre-1999 constitutional enrollment requirements and meet the five-year relinquishment requirement if enrolled in another Tribe.

During the Sept. 8 Tribal Council election, voters favored the amendment 839-365, for a 69.7 percent majority, which is greater than the percentage needed to successfully become an approved amendment to the Tribal Constitution.

The entire meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video.