A modern kitchen design is offered inside the new Timine Way North Apartments on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at Nixyaawii Neighborhood in Mission.

MISSION — The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has opened its latest apartment complex and has a new neighborhood ready for homes. The increase in home sites and rental units makes the development the largest on the reservation in many years.

The tribes on Thursday, June 1, held ceremonies for the opening of the Timine Way North Apartments and the completion of the Nixyaawii Neighborhood infrastructure. The projects are directly to the north and south of Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center and Nixyaawii Community School and within walking distances of each, along with the Nixyaawii Government Center and Kayak Public Transportation.

“The CTUIR is stepping up and creating a housing market for the unmet need we don’t always hear about, which is not low income,” CTUIR Housing Director Marcus Luke said. “We have tribal members that are hardworking, do not qualify as low-income, living with relatives so it’s crowded, may not own land, trying to move home to work and do not want to live in town. So this is a great opportunity with the new 30 apartments that are quality, energy efficient and affordable.”

Timine Way North Apartments

Luke said the goal is to rent studios for $800 a month, one-bedrooms for $1,400 and two-bedrooms for a little more than $1,700, but that includes all appliances, water, sewer, electricity, internet and even a parking pass.

Getting prices down to these levels meant jumping on materials and items early.

“We were able to lock in just before the higher summer cost of fuel, shipping and supply-demand of windows, doors, appliances, etc.,” he said, “as we all remember the long delays shipping and sky rocketing costs during COVID.”

Luke said tribal members are preferred tenants of the apartments, but they also could serve as housing for CTUIR tribal government, Wildhorse Resort & Casino and Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center employees. The tribes also could use the apartments as a recruiting tool for potential employees.

The CTUIR Board of Trustees soon will act to finalize rents for the apartments. The board also will finalize residency requirements. The units should be ready for tenants in July.

Nixyaawii Neighborhood

Bill Tovey, CTUIR economic and community development director, said the Nixyaawii Neighborhood has 42 shovel-ready lots available with 99-year leases for tribal members ready to own their own homes.

The tribes operate Nixyaawii Community Financial Services, which provides loans and homeownership assistance to tribal

members.

Some tribal members already have leased lots, which range in size from 4,000 to 6,800 square feet.

Oregon Housing and Community Services Executive Director Andrea Bell attended the neighborhood’s grand opening June 1 and said her agency recommended awarding $3 million in Home Ownership Development Funding grants to the tribe and CTUIR’s Nixyaawii Community Financial Services.

The Oregon Housing Stability Council approved that funding the next day.

“We have been working really closely with NCFS and so many of our partners to really make sure that our shared commitment to our tribal partners is really coming through in some explicit ways,” Bell said in announcing the funding. “Words of commitment are great and resources are a lot better.”

That funding will allow the

tribes to build 21 new affordable homes with two or three bedrooms for parcel leaseholders on the subdivision.

NCFS Executive Director

Dave Tovey thanked OHCS and

the state of Oregon for supporting the neighborhood project, as well

as for a $300,000 award for down payment assistance, a few months ago.

He said seeing all of this come together with the Nixyaawii Neighborhood is exciting.

“Tribal members have the opportunity to not just own a home but to be a homeowner on the reservation, a dream that has been unattainable for most,” he said. “The vast majority of tribal members I’ve worked with want to live on the reservation, in their community, but have to settle for off-reservation after realizing limited or nonexistence of affordable homes to purchase on the Umatilla Reservation.”

Meeting housing challengesThe tribes in a statement said the two developments have been years in the making and will help address the need for available housing on the reservation, and they come as there are plenty of available jobs on the reservation and as more tribal members look to move home. Yet, it can be difficult for tribal members to live on the reservation because of fractionation, high land prices or construction barriers.

A 2017 housing study identified a 20-year need of 349 homes on the reservation, with most being immediately needed. That prompted the issue to be identified as a priority for the BOT, community, Housing Strategy Team and in the Comprehensive Plan, Housing Strategy Plan and Capital Improvements plan.

And as the tribal economy has grown, so has the individual wealth of individual tribal members. Yet, individuals in the market-rate home range have struggled to find housing on the reservation.