1996 Tribal REACH Plans

Compiled by the LIHEAP Clearinghouse

Four Indian tribes received grants totaling $5.6 million from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in September 1996, the first round of REACH funding. HHS received applications from 9 Indian tribes.

The following summaries were compiled from selected portions of successful REACH applications as provided to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse by the grantees.

TRIBAL REACH GRANTS:
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians - Michigan
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska
South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency - Washington
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians - Michigan

TRIBAL REACH GRANTS

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians - Michigan

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians received a REACH grant of $150,000. With this grant, the tribe plans to assist low-income families in weatherizing their homes, installing energy-efficient appliances, learning about energy education, negotiating payment plans with vendors, and in budgeting.

The tribe plans to provide weatherization, education, and budget counseling to 47 low-income families "who have been identified to be in a poor or crisis energy state or who have been identified as developing a dependency on energy-assistance programs." Ten families in the 0-50 percent poverty level will receive weatherization services valued at up to $5,000 each, with a limit of $1,000 per grant for contractors' fees; 37 families in the 51-99 percent of poverty range will be eligible for grants up to $2,500 each, with a limit of $500 per grant for contractors' fees.

Each REACH applicant will be evaluated for the age of their home; the age and condition of siding, insulation, windows, storm windows, doors, storm doors, and shingles; the age and condition of appliances, with an assessment of their energy efficiency; use of energy-efficient lighting; condition of hot water heater; age, condition, and energy consumption associated with home heating and cooling systems.

REACH participants will receive energy education and brief budget counseling; referrals will be made when appropriate for more ambitious budget counseling.

For more information, contact: Shirley Brown, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, 225 Wa Seh Drive, St. Ignace, MI 49781; (906) 643-8103.

Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska -

The Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska received a REACH grant of $129,234. The project will include two sites - the Juneau urban area Native population, and the Metakatla Indian Community, Annette Islands Reservation rural population.

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska is a federally-recognized tribe serving 20 villages and communities spread out over 43,000 miles within the Alaska panhandle.

During the past 10 years the Central Council has developed the LIHEAP program "into an innovative and effective educational and outreach program for provision of household budgeting, energy conservation, crisis intervention, and other related family-stabilization services to low-income community residents vulnerable to energy-payment crises."

For its REACH program, the Council plans to "further develop and expand these program services into a demonstration project for the Juneau urban Native population... The project model will demonstrate how to utilize the LIHEAP program as a proactive outreach, education, and counseling service to address household energy-consumption issues, while also connecting these low-income families with other Central Council programs and services through an effective referral system.

For the Metakatla Indian Community, the REACH project targets four low-income segments of the Annette Island Reservation's population - the elderly, the disabled, the long-term unemployed, and dislocated workers. According to the Central Council, population needs at Metakatla fall into two major categories: "For the elderly and disabled, estimated at 25 households, the need is to develop a process whereby low-income individuals [reduce energy consumption or cut energy costs]. For the long-term unemployed and dislocated workers category, estimated at 140 individuals, the need is to provide a program which will provide interim assistance until jobs [can be found]."

The Central Council cites as an underlying assumption for both programs that for residents of Alaska's panhandle, with its harsh climate and 10-month heating season, "energy costs are among the last costs to be deferred....Thus, when a family finds itself in a non-payment/shut-off situation, it is a fair assumption that the household has already deferred food, clothing, rent, medical needs, and other essential costs." As a result, "Central Council staff view a family energy-payment crisis as a possible indicator of a wide range of family needs and take a hard yet non-intrusive look at the entire family situation." The Central Council asserts that "a family energy crisis can be an indication of a lack of steady employment, loss of a job, unanticipated medical expenses, a family crisis relating to mental health or substance abuse, or lack of transportation. Thus, an energy-payment crisis is usually not a cause but a symptom of a family at risk."

The Central Council strategy features four components:

using the LIHEAP data base for early identification and outreach to families "in most critical need of energy assistance."
"effective outreach/energy education prior to the heating season that provides common-sense approaches to reducing and controlling energy costs..."
"ongoing assistance in budgeting, budget planning, including non-cash incentives, to bring about energy-cost reduction and improvements in payment records to utilities...."
"linkages with other Central Council programs, including social services, family preservation, weatherization, and the Housing Improvement Program to address other family stabilization issues..."

For the Metakatla Community, intervention will follow a case-by-case basis for the four target groups previously described. "Intervention for elderly and disabled participants will emphasize improved energy devices, low-cost energy sources, and improvements in the physical environment."

The "long-term unemployed" group will have access to a combination of training, counseling, and education. Interventions for the "dislocated workers" group will include financial assistance and job training "as well as counseling and education for a transition period with the intent of dealing with opportunities before a crisis develops."

The goals of the Metakatla REACH program are:

a reduction in energy costs of participating low-income households
an increase in the regularity of home energy bill payments by participating households, and
an increase in energy-vendor contributions toward reducing energy burdens of eligible households.

For more information, contact: Sandra Cross, financial assistance coordinator, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau - (907) 463-7167.

South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency - Washington state

The South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, based in Shelton, Washington, received a REACH grant of $50,000.

For the tribes served by the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, "unemployment figures range from 27 to 46 percent..." Indians who once relied on the timber industry and fishing for employment have suffered from a decline in these industries. Dropout rates are high for young Native Americans.

The Agency's REACH proposal includes the following components, all designed to help move LIHEAP-eligible households toward "energy self-sufficiency":

Activity I - Survey - During the first year of the REACH project, the Agency will design and distribute to all LIHEAP-eligible households a survey that will "measure general knowledge of energy-management techniques and perceptions of ability to control and manage energy use and household spending." The survey will serve several purposes. It will "start households thinking about energy and budget issues and serve as a 'reality check' concerning [the Agency's] assumptions." It will provide a baseline for comparison to post-test surveys; it will inform preparation of workshops; and, it will provide "a quantifiable measure indicating whether there is a significant relationship between knowledge levels, perceptions, and a demonstrated ability to meet financial obligations despite low-income status and whether non-monetary assistance is an effective motivator of responsible bill-paying behavior."
Activities II, III, and IV - Money-Management Workshops, Debt Counseling, and Energy-Management Workshops - All LIHEAP-eligible households will be invited to participate in the money-management and energy-demand management workshops. Counseling services and voucher incentives (described below) will be offered first to LIHEAP clients with income levels within the lowest 50 percent (about two-third of the LIHEAP caseload).
Activity V - "Warm Rewards" Incentives - "Eligible households whose bills remain current within 14 days for three consecutive months will receive a voucher redeemable for either a new thermal blanket or a chimney inspection ($45 value). Households who remain current within 14 days for a total of five months during the high-energy demand months of October - March will receive a 'bonus' credit of $25 payable to their energy vendor."

For more information, contact: Carmen Kalama, LIHEAP coordinator, South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency - (360) 426-3990.

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians - Michigan -

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Suttons Bay, Michigan, received a REACH grant of $50,103. Tribal Manager Robert Kewaygoshkum reported that the REACH grant will support a program that will complete a comprehensive survey of the household needs of LIHEAP recipients. Interviewers will consider how members of the household might benefit from referrals to health services, job training, weatherization, other social service programs, etc. The tribe plans to add a $10,000 match.

For more information, contact: Robert Kewaygoshkum, Grand Traverse Band, 2605 Northeast Bayshore Drive, Suttons Bay, MI 49682; (616) 271-7129.

Page Last Updated: January 27, 2010