FY 1999 Tribal REACH Awards

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made grant awards totaling $804,789 to one territory and six tribes under the Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Option Program (REACH) for FY 1999. This is the fourth distribution of REACH funds.

One of the tribal winners received $25,000 for energy efficiency education proposals that met specified standards.

TRIBAL AND TERRITORY REACH AWARDS:      $804,789
American Samoa Government
Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribe of Alaska
United Tribes of Kansas & Southeast Nebraska, Inc. (Kansas)
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Michigan)
Fort Belknap Indian Community (Montana)
Northern Cheyenne Tribe (Montana)
Lumbee Regional Development Association (North Carolina)


U.S. TERRITORY

AMERICAN SAMOA G0VERNMENT    $123,866
TERRITORIAL ENERGY OFFICE

American Samoa, a U.S. Territory, is located approximately 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii. The climate is tropical. Electricity is generated solely with diesel generators. The residential electric rate is $0.152 per kilowatt-hour, which is extremely high, compared to residential electric rates in the continental United States. The American Samoa Department of Commerce has determined that of the 7,760 households in the Territory, 4,500 qualify for low-income assistance. Of the 4,500 low-income households, the Territorial Energy Office (TEO) currently serves approximately 255 through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).

This project would expand the number of households TEO serves to 1,680 by providing them with a compact fluorescent light, which would reduce each household's electric bill by 16%. The project would be completed within 12 months and the intervention would last over four years (the expected minimum life of fluorescent bulbs). The project will purchase and
distribute (free of charge) 8,400 compact fluorescent lights to 1,680 low-income households on four of the five inhabited islands in the Territory. The total predicted benefit to the low-income households served is $617,584 over the life of the intervention.

For every Federal dollar invested, $4.98 will be returned in benefits to low-income households. This represents a benefit/cost ratio of almost 5:1. Anything over 1:1 is considered a worthwhile project by the U.S. Department
of Energy.



INDIAN TRIBES/TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS

CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TLINGIT AND HAIDA INDIAN TRIBES OF ALASKA (Alaska)   $175,000*

The Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes has successfully carried out two previous REACH projects and is uniquely positioned to deliver REACH services to low-income Alaska Native/American Indian families within southeast Alaska under this program model, which will be carried out in conjunction with the Tribes' Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) efforts under the Community Services Block Grant. The project model that has been developed and refined over the past two projects is based on the strategy of utilizing REACH program services as a means of outreach and intervention and accessing other Central Council programs through an overall self-sufficiency program model.

This model has been instrumental in achieving moderate, but measurable improvements in energy payment records, and reductions in energy crisis situations within the Alaska Native/American Indian population. It has also institutionalized the REACH program as one of the primary outreach and service delivery vehicles for the region. The program will continue this project model with the addition of building increased capacity at the village level for energy decision making and for self-help.

The project model has been developed based on a client evaluation of the previous projects, focussing specifically on how to make project strategies and services user friendly to the isolated circumstances of the low-income Alaska Native/American Indian target population.

Under the program model for 1999, the Central Council will target the REACH program to seven communities that have expressed an interest in participating in the REACH/ROMA model for energy intervention as a pilot project. The communities include Juneau, Craig, Haines, Klawock, Metlakatla, Petersburg, and Wrangell.

The project budget is $150,000 with an additional $25,000 requested for an energy education initiative.

* The REACH grant award includes an additional $25,000 to operate an energy efficiency education program.



UNITED TRIBES OF KANSAS & SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, INC. (Kansas)    $70,000

United Tribes of Kansas and Southeast Nebraska, Inc. (hereafter referred to as United Tribes, Inc.) will provide assistance to LIHEAP eligible Native Americans residing within United Tribes' service area of Brown and Doniphan counties in Kansas. United Tribes, Inc. will target low-income Native American households who are most in need, with priority given to those with members who are disabled, elderly or children.

LIHEAP eligible homeowners requiring replacement of primary heating apparatuses will take precedence. Secondary attention will be given to those Native American households that require other repairs and/or replacement or improved energy conservation purposes. The focus will be placed on, but not limited to, the following types of assistance:

Replacement of hazardous furnaces and water heaters

Minimizing health and safety risk of Native Americans whose main heat source is a wood stove.

Provision of energy saving repairs and/or alterations such as the replacement of exterior doors with storm doors, insulation, etc.

Educational materials on energy saving techniques, provided in both adult and children's formats

Health and safety materials based on the individual household's needs.

At least 80% of the total funds requested will be utilized for the costs of materials, labor and any other direct expenses required to meet the goals and objectives as set forth in this program.



GRAND TRAVERSE BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS (Michigan)    $65,109

The Grand Traverse Band (GTB) of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will conduct a one-year REACH program for eligible Native American households within its six-county service area in northwestern Michigan.

The REACH initiatives of the Tribal Plan are designed to enhance and increase the ability of eligible Native American households to meet energy costs and help them to achieve energy self-sufficiency.

The major components of the GTB REACH program are:

Intervention services, including energy payment assistance, energy consumer tips, budgeting counseling, service referrals and appliance replacement, for 143 Tribal households through office and home visits by the Project Director;

Consumer Education Services for 143 Tribal households through community workshops at 6 project sites and collaboration with educational activities of the on-going Windmill Electric Generating Project; and

Intensive energy conservation services which includes replacement of 10 outdated, energy consuming refrigerators with new energy-efficient appliances that will run on approximately one-third less electricity.

The FY 2000 Plan is using a family approach to energy conservation. The focus of the education component is two-fold. First, it aims at the parents. Second, the young adults participating in this program are still in their parent's home and can make a difference. Soon they will be out in homes or apartments of their own and can apply this energy experience.

The proposed project will result in reductions in the health and safety risks associated with high energy costs that are beyond the resources of low-income families who participate in the project. The project's process and results will continue to be shared with other federally recognized Tribes and tribal organizations in Michigan.

FORT BELKNAP INDIAN COMMUNITY (Montana)    $70,819

The Fort Belknap Indian Community Council is charged with the duties of protecting the health, security and general welfare of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. The Fort Belknap Community does not have a program which addresses weatherization and efficient weatherization measures.

A large fraction of Fort Belknap housing units were built under HUD and BIA programs. Unfortunately, many of these units were constructed using "first-cost" design, rather than "life-cycle" cost analysis, which includes operating costs for heating, lighting and maintenance. Most families try to reduce the expensive heating bills by covering windows with plastic
shrink-wrap, adding storm doors, and sometimes doubling up families in a single house. Existing home improvement programs do not have enough funding to meet the improvement demand.

This is a 17-month project, which will begin to address weatherization measures. The target population is Fort Belknap's LIHEAP recipients, totaling 295 of Fort Belknap's 754 households. The project elements are for 1) community weatherization educational classes and 2) community budget management, payment plan development, etc. classes. The participants will
receive a weatherization kit, which will initiate household involvement in weatherization measures.



NORTHERN CHEYENNE TRIBE (Montana)    $150,000

The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is located in southeastern Montana. The closest city is located 105 miles away in Billings. The reservation totals over 444,157 acres and covers two counties, with tribal members totaling over 6,700 (4,500 of whom reside on the reservation). The project is for thirteen months. The project's goals are to reduce the number of clients receiving assistance by 25% and to decrease the client's energy needs by at least 20%.

Key project tasks are: 1) set up a client address list and get the clients to agree to be on a budget billing system; 2) arrange for the budget billing process with the utility companies and negotiate an agreement with the client and utility company; 3) develop a survey form for dissemination on the history of the homes and their energy usage, and collect and compile the completed surveys, and 4) hold two energy workshops twice a year to help the clients better understand the process of paying energy bills on time, what the costs are if they are disconnected, and what they can do to help keep the utility costs down.

The client's list will assist in verifying and completing the budget billing process along with the signed agreements. This information should indicate how any possible units could have their energy costs reduced by adding more insulation. These clients will then be referred to the tribal weatherization program or the tribal LIHEAP program for insulation installation. The number of habitual delinquent clients will be evaluated as to the number of delinquencies and cut offs they have had and will be indicated on the client's list. These clients will be targeted for workshops and energy counseling.



LUMBEE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (North Carolina)    $149,995

The Lumbee Regional Development Association's (LRDA) REACH funds will operate a project that will assist LIHEAP eligible households in the Enhanced Enterprise Community Zone of Robeson County, North Carolina. The aim is to help them continue to make significant improvements in their family stability by reducing their energy burden, decreasing the potential for a utility cut off, increasing the likelihood of on-time utility payments, and increasing their potential for energy self-sufficiency.

The LRDA REACH project will meet these identified needs through a combined program of low-cost weatherization (such as door weather-stripping kits, window shades, low flow shower heads, energy efficient lighting, and thermostat assessments/replacements), energy audits, and energy conservation education..

LRDA will continue to build upon their existing partnerships with the local utility companies, energy vendors and community service agencies to provide training in household budgeting, weatherization and energy efficiency.

This project will also demonstrate that "energy self-sufficiency" does not just mean paying the energy bill for a low-income household. The project expects that the household will learn how to assume a greater responsibility for the payment of their energy costs, and it asks the community at large to assist in the process through education, social service assistance, energy payment plans and energy saving devices. This will move the problem of energy assistance from a welfare-type payment program to a partnership with roles and expectations for all of the partners. This project is based on a belief that early intervention and prevention are critical in addressing the problems of the poor and the cost of energy.

Page Last Updated: December 7, 2005