A New Year offers new housing assistance for Klamath Tribal elders at the Melita’s property

This is the time of year we think of those who are less fortunate who may not have warm homes to live in, but thanks to a newly passed resolution by the Tribal Council, the managers at the old Melita’s property can now begin sifting through applications and giving some of the neediest tribal members a place to call home.

At the last Tribal Council meeting of the year, Bull Parazoo, a manager at the Tribal Temporary Senior Transition Housing located at the Old Melita’s property, stood before the Council, awaiting approval of a long-awaited set of rules to govern the new housing community. The Council passed gave its final approval, and with approval in hand, Parazoo can now begin accepting residents into the program, designed to help elder tribe members without homes find stability and safety.

Sorting through the application is hard work, but not quite as hard as it was to convert an out-of-business motel into a senior housing facility. Parazoo recounted stories of the rebuild and the hard work it took to get the property to where it is today, “Initially we had fridges that were ordered and they were too big for the actual areas to put them in, so they wouldn’t fit,” he said. “So, luckily, I went out there and measured before they actually got to the appliance store. Got to cancel that order and reorder, but it’s just the small fridges, for some reason are on back order. No idea why,” He explained, “So we do have fridges, microwaves, beds, and then after everything is all said and done, we will be installing TVs, and we’ll have internet access.”

Parazoo managed many of the details in rebuilding the property and now will take on the role of manager of the 15 units that will be ready to move into as of Jan. 2, 2025. He said that about a third of the units are filled and will all have residents soon enough, but the need is so much more. “It’s actually an unknown number of how many safely housed and unhoused tribal elders we have in the county or within the state,” he said. “We have applications going out, and it’s just a matter of getting them back and then going through the process of vetting the tenants, and then as soon as we get the clarification, we can get them in there. The units will be fully housed. So, it’s pretty exciting.”

Parazoo said that many of the applications he is receiving are unqualified. Residents of the new housing unit must be homeless without any permanent housing or assistance. Other requirements involve income levels and other factors, but many of the individuals he sees are destitute.

The program includes a navigator to help those who have not applied for social security or veteran benefits obtain the assistance they need. Each resident will be given a 30 to 60-day period to start rent-free to see what issues they may face. “The Navigator is going to be able to work through all those issues exactly, and we have all the people in place to really adequately address all the situations,” said Parazoo. “Some tenants might not even have IDs, you know? Yeah, we’ve seen that before. Actually, when we just first started in housing, there was a couple people that came to us for help, and they didn’t have IDs, social security cards, nothing, birth certificates. So, working with the navigator, then we’ll get back on track, getting all their proper documentation and seamless services that they are eligible for. You know some elders or veterans that never apply for VA benefits, things of that nature, and see where we can see where their standing is and get them on their feet.”

But financial woes aren’t the worst problems the homeless may face living on the street. Many of the homeless elders have long-term medical needs that have not been addressed in a very long time. “You know, we’ve got to keep in mind that some of these people have been on the streets, and we don’t know if they might have pre-existing medical conditions, too,” Parazoo said. He envisions working with healthcare to address the various illnesses many residents have acquired while living on the streets.

Parazoo said many of the referrals he is receiving come from family members. “I’ve been getting a lot of family members coming forward,” he said. “So somebody’s father or mother or cousin. Just through word of mouth.”

If you have a family member or friend in need of a home, Bull Parazoo can be reached at 541-891-6882 or call the housing office at 541-783-2219, extension 136.