Not long ago, we wrote about Tacoma’s potential to learn something from the Puyallup Tribal government’s efforts to combat homelessness. Our tribe hosts a variety of services on offer for those struggling to find employment, pay bills, or battle back from addiction, it’s a necessary outreach for those in our community who most need assistance. A system that needs to run on transparency and a priority of helping tribal members.
Recently Puyallup Nation News heard from people in the community that have been struggling to maintain their housing assistance as part of the Puyallup Re-entry Services. While speaking to PNN under conditions of anonymity, for fear of reprisal, one source recounted their experiences with a system that felt unwelcoming and confusing in regards to expectations, both for participation and support.
Notably, while describing a lack of trust between program operators and participants, it became increasingly unclear just how long they could depend on help keeping a roof over their head. Initially offered expectations of a long term, grant-funded rental assistance, one member of the re-entry program produced paperwork for PNN, announcing that they would be getting booted from the system after only a couple months due to a lack of funds.
There have even been suggestions of favoritism within the program. With participants alleging that these apparent grant funding problems weren’t hitting everyone in housing assistance with the same force.
It’s an unfortunately increasingly familiar refrain from those seeking assistance from the tribal government. While big business ventures like the Puyallup Chocolate Factory, Woven Tacoma Seafood & Chophouse, and investment in Skiptech battery production sail through with maximum investment and questionable long-term financial prospects, government structure and policy remains opaque at best. At worst, underfunded.
This isn’t an argument that we should be offering indefinite housing assistance to anyone and everyone. Even the most robust social program has to have its limits. But for people really clearly struggling to get their lives back on track, the planning and execution of exactly what kind of help is on offer needs to be clear. And it needs to be long term.
The financial security is there to provide real help to our community. Those who are most vulnerable to homelessness, addiction and criminalization need to be the top priority, not PR financial stunts.
_Have you had problems with the re-entry program, tribal housing, or other tribal assistance? Call us at 253-297-9775 or email zane@puyallupnation.com._
