Yakama Nation Housing Authority 2009 Yakama Nation Housing Assessment American Public Health Association, Annual Meeting & Exposition Denver, Colorado – November 2010

“No relationships to disclose” Presenter Disclosures Peter Connery The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: “No relationships to disclose” 2

Salmon fishing very important cultural and economic practice Yakama Nation Background Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is 10,000 + persons large Located in Washington’s Columbia River plateau in southern part of Central WA Salmon fishing very important cultural and economic practice

Random Survey of Native American (mostly enrolled Survey Methods Overview Random Survey of Native American (mostly enrolled Yakama) Households on the Reservation and Ceded Lands 659 total completed surveys Includes 52 Columbia River surveys Survey profiled the demographics and conditions of 2,637 household members 4

Survey Methods Overview (Cont’d) Unit of analysis = household 2 page face-to-face survey administered Eligible respondents – Native Americans living on the Reservation or Ceded Lands Tribal Registry used to develop random sample – Final-95% CL – 2.5-3.5% CI Response rates very high – 88% plus $20 Gift cards used as response incentive Enrolled Yakama trained as interviewers Yakama living near Columbia River included

Yakama Nation Housing Needs Assessment Survey – Survey Sample Distribution: All Locations 6

Yakama Nation Housing Needs Assessment Survey – Survey Sample Distribution: Reservation Detail 7

Housing Profile

86% Native American occupants only Household Demographics 86% Native American occupants only Compared to 4% of Yakama County population 82% enrolled members of the Yakama Nation Yakama was spoken in 7% of households 42% of households had no children living in them Median of 2 adults per household Median of 2 children per household with children Data suggests 2,632 households on Reservation with 8,612 enrolled Yakama 9

Household Size – Number of Members in Surveyed Households Average Surveyed Household Size = 4.00 Average Household Size for Yakama County = 2.95 N=659

Average of 1.4 occupants per room Overcrowding Overcrowding is more than 1.0 occupants per room 54% of surveyed households were overcrowded, compared to 6% of Yakima County households Nearly 10% of household members did not sleep in a bedroom Average of 1.4 occupants per room

Family Composition 12 Household Family Composition Percent Household with only one person (householder) 12.0% Family household with only one householder and spouse/partner 9.1% Family household with householder, spouse/partner, and children 22.9% Family household with householder and children 14.4% Household with nuclear family and parent or grandparent 3.0% Household with extended family member 26.6% Household with friend or other Total Households 659 12

Income The median annual household income from ALL sources was $17,790 for survey respondents. This was much lower than the Yakama County median annual household income of $43,639. 13

Annual Family Income and Poverty Thresholds Federal Poverty Threshold % of Families Below Poverty Threshold $14,366 $17,268 $21,756 51% 54% 62% Source of Poverty Thresholds: U.S. Census

Percent of Respondents Who Are Currently Experiencing the Following Problems (Top Responses) 76% of households had at least one problem 643 respondents with 2,409 responses 15

Septic and Sewage Issues 10% of respondents reported having “sewage, drainage, waste water, or septic issues.” N=33 Of Respondents Who Reported Having Had Problems with Sewage, Drainage, Waste Water, or Septic Issues, Length of Time They Have Had This Problem

4% had other living arrangements (RV, camper, tent, etc.) Owning vs. Renting 57% of respondents owned their home, while 39% lived in rented property 4% had other living arrangements (RV, camper, tent, etc.) Only 20% of property owners had a mortgage Median monthly mortgage for surveyed households was $450 Yakama County median monthly mortgage was $1,198 17

Troubles with Renting 37% of current renters have had difficulty renting housing in the area Top Barriers Reported As Having Prevented Respondents from Being Able to Rent a Place to Live 97 respondents with 294 responses

Housing Preferences – Where Respondents Would Prefer to Live if Housing Were Available

Top Three Most Important Factors to Respondents When Considering Housing 20

Home Buying 18% of respondents were actively planning to build or purchase a home in the next three years Of Respondents Who Faced Any Obstacles to Purchasing a Home, Top Obstacles that Prevented Them from Being Able to Successfully Purchase Home 85 respondents with 376 responses

Community Concerns

649 respondents with 4,993 responses Top Issues That Respondents Were Most Worried About 649 respondents with 4,993 responses

Respondents’ Perception on Their Level of Influence Over the Following Issues

Transportation 10% of respondents did not usually have reliable transportation to services they needed in Washington 26% of respondents used the new bus service Of those respondents who used the new bus service, percent whose needs were being met N=168

Homelessness

Homeless Counts 2009 Yakama County Point-in-Time Homeless County reported 217 homeless American Indians in Yakama County Noah’s Ark Homeless Shelter record review indicated about 150 Native Americans, mostly Yakamas, had been clients at least one night 27

Respondents’ Level of Concern About the Issue of Homelessness on the Yakama Reservation

Columbia River

69% of household members were enrolled Yakama Profile of Columbia River Respondents Two-thirds of River respondents lived on or near the Columbia River year-round 69% of household members were enrolled Yakama 57% traveled with their families on fishing trips 58% of respondents who traveled to the River to fish went 2 to 3 times per year 32% stayed for 2 months 26% stayed for 5 or 6 months 30

51 respondents with 130 responses Reasons for Fishing Along the Columbia River 51 respondents with 130 responses

51 respondents with 102 responses Types of Help the Yakama Nation Should Provide for Columbia River Fishing 51 respondents with 102 responses

50 respondents with 415 responses Community Concerns: Top Issues That Columbia River Respondents Were Most Worried About 50 respondents with 415 responses

Percentage of Columbia River Respondents Who Felt They Had No Influence At All Over the Following Issues N=50

Poverty and unemployment data is striking Research Comments Poverty and unemployment data is striking Need to increase public safety initiatives Community engagement indicators are very low New construction should reflect larger Yakama households (4 vs 3 in Yakama County) Need for rental assistance Need more help in sanitation & garbage services 35

Homeless services should be developed Research Comments (cont’d) Homeless services should be developed Need for home ownership education New construction Maintenance (more housing rehab effort) Columbia River Yakama are more disengaged from Tribe and want more local services Develop more seasonal and permanent access to Columbia River ceded lands Regularly measure progress with community indicators 36

Peter Connery, Vice President Thank You For More Information: Peter Connery, Vice President connery@appliedsurveyresearch.org Applied Survey Research (ASR) is a nonprofit, social research firm dedicated to helping people build better communities by collecting meaningful data, facilitating information-based planning and developing custom strategies.