MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s (CTUIR) Housing Department on June 24 held an open house for its three transitional housing units along Mission Road.

Located on a half-acre lot of trust land at 46390 Mission Road, Housing Director Marcus Luke said approximately $820,000 in COVID-19 funds from the American Rescue Plan Act were used to construct three cottages as transitional/temporary housing for CTUIR members.

“We’ve needed this for years,” Luke said. “We would get complaints of people living in their truck/cars, overcrowded mutual help home, staying in a motel, with friends, people feeling homeless and helpless.”

According to a Housing document, the Mission Road Temporary Housing project consists of two dwellings at 480 square feet each with attached carports, while the third unit consists of 612 square feet and a carport. All units include utilities (water, sewer, electric in lieu of gas), fiber, appliances, patio space and additional storage, the document states.

The cottages will also be available for the department’s Maintenance and Resident Services. Housing Maintenance Manager Tanner Michael said anyone staying in a unit would pay rent with the monthly amount depending on the scenario for why the person was assigned to it.

“Under Resident Services, when a client becomes a tenant, that tenant puts in their 30-day notice wherever they are currently living,” Luke said. “After they move here, we’ll use a unit for their transition to become a tenant until their unit is rent-ready. They have already been approved by all requirements to get into housing.”

Under Maintenance, Luke said, when a unit needs a remodel, tenants can transition to one of the new cottage-style dwellings so that workers can have full access until the remodel is finished.

“This is for whomever applies at Housing and is waiting for a unit or existing unit work for maintenance,” he said. “They must be qualified and approved by all the requirements already, and transition housing would be the next step after being approved.”

Housing worked with CTUIR’s Planning Department, Department of Economic & Community Development, Umatilla Tribal Fire Department, Cultural Resources Protection Program, Tribal Employment Rights Office, Planning Department and Finance Department, as well as the Wenaha Group, Energy Trust of Oregon and several Native-owned businesses to develop the housing. Final approval of the project will come from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the CTUIR Board of Trustees. GCT Land Management of La Grande and Seder Architecture are partnering as the design-builder, with construction expected to be fully complete by the end of July.

According to the Housing document, the units should be available for tenants in the fall.