As eight elder housing units reach completion, Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority is seeking applications from eligible tenants.
Four new duplexes located at 50th Street Court East and Waller Road will be completed in late March, and will be available to low-incometribal elders 55 and older with no pets and no children.
Based off of the Elder Healthy Home prototype that was built on East 32nd Street near Portland Avenue in 2007, these eight units will provide safe, clean, affordable and energy-efficient housing options to elders, a population that has been more or less underserved in tribal housing over the years.
“There is the need or we wouldn’t be doing it,” Project Manager Gregory Combs said. “We are quite glad with the quality units that these are going to be. They’re going to be small, but well-built and comfortable.”
The units are between 900 and 1,000 square feet and all share the same floor plan, with a kitchen, living space, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a garage. All comply with accessibility requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The units feature Hydronic Radiant floor heat, which Gregory Combs said is a more economical and energy efficient option, and will be more comfortable for the elders.
“We’re trying to make these systems comfortable and warm and stabilize the monthly energy costs for the elders,” Gregory Combs said.
Interested elders can apply for the Waller Road Elders Housing waiting list now.
By January, one of the units will be completely finished and open for tours for prospective tenants.
The housing community will be gated for security purposes and will be landscaped with low-maintenance and largely local, native plants.
“Right now (the elders homes are) a starting place for us to begin to cater to the elders’ needs,” said Richard Iyall, a tribal member who has been working on the project through the Housing Authority’s maintenance department. “The units are secured, isolated and away from Portland Avenue and Pacific. It’s out of the way, and you’ve got woods all around you.” He noted that the quality of materials and caliber of the craftsmanship for the elder homes are top of the line.
“So far what I’ve seen, we’re using the finest material that money can buy. We’re going that extra step. It’s just an incredible project.”
