â??Greenâ?? homes for less green

Photos by john weymer

CEREMONY. (Above) Drew Ebersole, fund development officer for Martin Luther King Housing Development Authority, speaks to the audience. Those in attendance included Tacoma City Manger Eric Anderson (left), Puyallup Tribal Councilmember James Miles, Sr. (second from left) and Puyallup Tribal Councilmember David Z. Bean (fourth from left). (Left photo) Traditional native drumming was performed during the ceremony.

Green, energy-efficient, sustainable design. These are words people have come to expect when a developer proposes a large-scale project. Those ideas are associated with high costs, and can be scarce in older and inexpensive buildings – especially single-family homes.

The Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority, along with EcoFab, Environmental Works, Martin Luther King Housing Development Authority, Tacoma Power and HUD office of Native American Programs, is working to change the association with 'green' structures and high prices.

Through the prototype for the Elder Healthy Home, which will be completed in late fall, the idea of affordable, healthy, sustainable housing is coming into focus.

"It became clear to me that even though there's a lot of green building going on large scale, there seems to be a lack of green and healthy housing for underserved populations, like the Puyallup Tribe," commented Callie Ridolfi, managing director for EcoFab, an organization that is coordinating the project.

Ridolfi, who has worked with tribes in Washington and Alaska on habitat restoration and waste management projects for the past 20 years, has come to realize the situation and need for healthy housing on tribal lands.

The prototype, which is the first of about 30 homes planned to begin construction on the Puyallup Reservation within the next year, takes advantage of energy saving and non-toxic materials, for a relatively affordable price.

The 1,300 square-foot, two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath home features a large kitchen and family room, two porches and separate bedroom wings – all features that were important to tribal elders.

"Generally, on the reservation there's a lack of resources, and housing is one of the most important resources," noted Annette Bryan, executive director for Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority. "The elders are our most precious asset; that's why housing for them has become a priority."

People who will qualify to live in the 30-home development to be built on Waller Road are low-income tribal members over the age of 55.

Based on the 2000 Census and a conservative estimate of growth from David Whited of the Puyallup Tribe planning and land service department, there are more than 400 individual natives in Pierce County who would be eligible for the housing.

Whited added that two elders living in one home would be less than half of 1 percent of the people who are eligible, yet he sees the project as a step in the right direction.

"There's absolutely…no elders housing," Whited said. "Across the county, there's a large need for housing for low-income elders."

In addition to serving a low-income population with state-of-the-art homes, in terms of materials, Ridolfi hopes the project will show the average person the possibilities of having their own environmentally conscious abodes.

Once the prototype home, located at 1413 E. 32nd St., is completed, open tours will be available for the public.  

"It's not just for high-end customers," pointed out Ridolfi. "(I hope the home will) inspire people to realize that they themselves can have these healthy homes."

The Elder Healthy Home will feature low-energy fixtures, passive solar heat gain, insulated windows, low-flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater collection for landscape irrigation, recycled materials, non-toxic material and a universal design plan for wheelchair accessibility.

According to Ridolfi, the cost of the project is approximately $240,000.

On Sept. 20, a ground-blessing ceremony on the construction site showed the community-wide support for the home. Members of the Puyallup Tribal Council and Housing Authority, as well as Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson, Mayor of Fife Mike Kelley were all in attendance and Governor Christine Gregoire acknowledged the project.

Bryan said the ground blessing was not just about the home, but about building a partnership between the Tribe, nonprofit organizations and government bodies.

 "We have a wonderful opportunity to build partnerships," she remarked.

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