By Corvo Rohwer, Puyallup Tribal News
Affordable housing is an incredibly important resource for community members, and the Puyallup Tribal Housing Department understands this need better than anyone. Working to develop new housing projects and upkeeping existing homes for the membership, its team is dedicated to cultivating opportunities that allow more Tribal Members to take the step toward being homeowners.
Having developed about 115 total units already, the department continues to plan for the future, led in part by Project Manager Brian Wescott. Beginning his start with Tribal housing as a maintenance manager in 2001, Wescott is now involved with setting up new construction projects and ensuring existing housing communities stay up to date.
“We have a focus on safety for the sites, so we’re keeping our camera systems updated, and we’re going to be doing an automated gate at one of our apartment locations,” Wescott said. “Safety is an ongoing type of thing for us to be on top of.”
Membership housing services also extend into mortgage and rental assistance through the Tribally funded Set-Aside Program, which aims to assist members who don’t meet income requirements under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 find stable housing opportunities. However, Wescott explained that the Tribal Housing Department specifically is completely funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and that any money received from the Tribe comes from grants.
“We rely on the Tribe’s grant department. Sometimes, they come to us with certain grants that are available that they think would fit for us and we work with them to work through the process of filling out all the applications,” Wescott said. “Funding is always something that is on the top of our minds, so we’re constantly trying to apply for grants.”
Wescott explained the department’s construction bids currently include six more Elders duplexes, as well as future conceptual plans, though they are currently working with HUD on budget variance plans before things can become concrete.
The Housing Department isn’t just about constructing homes, though, as it also has a maintenance department that oversees work orders, as well as resident service staff who deal directly with membership. Interacting with and getting to know everyday people within the Tribe is special to Resident Service Specialist Candi TurningRobe.
“This is a really caring crew, who really care about the residents, I’ve observed that,” TurningRobe said. “Every day is different, and that’s what I like about this position. … Every case is unique; every resident is unique.”
TurningRobe also made it clear that while her job does involve ensuring compliance, it’s also about people and the community, and assisting them with overcoming the barriers they run into in their daily lives.
“I’ve come to understand that there’s a housing policy, a Tribal code and the HUD policy. There’s those three areas and they all have to line up. … It’s not to fit a personal agenda, it’s to benefit the Tribal community and the residents that we serve,” TurningRobe said.
Whether they are hosting community dinners for residents or implementing block watch programs, fostering a strong community of neighbors is important to the department. Seeing Tribal Members succeed and being able to pave the pathway to homeownership is what makes the job worthwhile for TurningRobe.
“I got this email from a resident that said, ‘I just want to let you know that we will be moving out at the end of the month because my wife and I bought a house,’” TurningRobe said. “That’s a success story, and I hadn’t met him yet, we just talked over email. But I thought, this is what this is about. … When he sent that to me it made my whole day.”
For more information regarding housing applications, newsletters and other resources, visit the Housing Department webpage or reach out to Housing@PuyallupTribe-nsn.gov.
