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FY 1997 Tribe REACH AwardsThe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made grant awards totaling $361,513 to three tribes under the Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option Program (REACH) for FY 1997. HHS received applications from 10 Indian tribes. One of the tribal winners received $25,000 for energy efficiency education proposals that met specified standards. TRIBAL REACH AWARDS: GRAND TRAVERSE BAND OF OTTAWA
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians proposes to conduct a one-year "LIHEAP/REACH Program" for eligible Native American households within its six county rural service area in Northwestern Michigan. The design of this initiative is aimed at enhancing and increasing the ability of eligible Indian households to meet energy costs and to achieve selfsufficiency. Major components are: 1 ) intervention services for 128 current LIHEAP recipients through office visits and 46 households of the Indian Housing Authority through home visits by the Project Director and 2) consumer education services for 100 tribal households through community meetings at four separate project sites. Sixty (60) Tribal households (twenty in each area) will receive
consumer education services in three separate satellite sites e.g.,
Benzie, Charlevoix and Williamsburg. Forty (40) more Tribal households
will also receive consumer education services within the Peshawbestown
Village Community in Leelanau County. The project aims to benefit
274 low-income Native American households. The government services
involved in this project includes 170 services programs across five
divisions of the Tribal Government. Services include referrals to
the project and referrals of project participants (intra-Tribal)
to family counseling, social and health services, vocational and
adult education, housing repair and employment with the Tribal business
enterprise component. CHEROKEE NATION
$199,276 (Includes $25,000 The Cherokee Nation proposes to implement a 17 month project designed to determine the effectiveness of providing a variety of energy efficiency methods and practices to households in need of assistance in reducing their energy consumption. This will be accomplished by providing weatherization services, installation of solar energy panels used as an alternative energy source, and energy efficiency education instruction. The target population will include low-income elderly households and households with children under the age of six, residing in the rural portions of a five county target area. The selected participants will include those deemed most in need of energy assistance in increasing their comfort, safety and health levels, and in decreasing their energy costs. The proposed project activities will provide long-term benefits
to the participating households. In addition, the project hopes
to serve as a model for other organizations, agencies, Tribes or
community groups who are interested in developing similar programs.
SOUTH PUGET INTERTRIBAL PLANNING AGENCY
$ 112,134 The South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA), a five Tribe consortium, proposes a twelvemonth project to improve energy selfsufficiency among current LIHEAP clients. The project is based on the successful implementation of a twelve month FY 1996 REACH project last year by the SPIPA organization in which over 200 low-income families were provided energy incentives resulting in energy demand reduction and improved payment performance. The 1997 proposal builds on the successful assumptions carried over from the 1996 project. The basic assumption of the project is that tribal members are interested in learning how to reduce their energy bills and gain skills in better management of their family resources, resulting in their increased ability to avoid energy and other budgetary crises. However, the 1997 proposal also makes several significant changes, among them the inclusion of a life coping skills component to augment the consumer education classes provided in 1996; more attractive incentives to motivate individuals to maintain their energy payments throughout the heating season; and, a closer linkage between the REACH program and the LIHEAP program. The 1997 REACH project activities will assess beliefs and knowledge
concerning energy consumption and 1) provide consumer education
and life coping skills instruction within a comfortable setting,
including follow-up reinforcement of new learning; 2) bring energy
education programs currently available through Public Utility Districts
to consortium Reservations; and 3) support these activities with
both cash and non-cash incentives which reinforce energy demand
reduction behaviors and encourage responsible bill-paying conduct.
Workshops on Basic Budgeting and Energy Demand Management, and on
a variety of tribal/participant selected life coping skills topics,
will be held at each tribal location. Confidential, one-on-one budget/debt
counseling will be provided onsite at the tribal sites for three
(3) months each winter. Warm Rewards will award clients whose energy
bills remain current within the proposal guidelines with a voucher
redeemable for either a blanket or chimney cleaning service. Source: Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Energy Page Last Updated: December 7, 2005 |
