Land secured for Inter-Tribal Elder Village in Ukiah

UKIAH, CA., 12/2/24 – Elder Native Americans will soon have a place in Mendocino County to truly call their own – a housing village dedicated to ensuring they age gracefully and with dignity, while celebrating their unique cultural heritages and identities.

In October, the Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority (NCIHA), in partnership with the Donna M. Cooper Trust, finalized a deal on a 2.57-acre parcel in Ukiah to develop an elder housing center.

The project, called the Inter-Tribal Elder Village, is funded by the state’s Community Care Expansion (CCE) Program, which awards grants to grow the number of facilities available for low-income older adults. 

The goal of the elder village is to expand independent living and care options for older adults and elders, particularly those experiencing homelessness, from the housing authority’s consortium tribes and other federally recognized tribes. NCIHA’s consortium includes five Mendocino County Indian tribes: the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Manchester-Point Arena Band of Pomo Indians, the Redwood Valley Little River Band of Pomo Indians, the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians and the Guidiville Rancheria.

The housing development will be at 420 Cooper Lane, a five-minute drive from downtown Ukiah. The project will include 15 residential units designed to accommodate 30 older adults. A community center, a garden, a creekside overlook and an open green space are also planned.

According to Moriah McGill, the deputy director of NCIHA, the elder village is estimated to cost $14 million and is scheduled for completion in winter of 2026. She explained that the CCE program support was crucial in getting the project off the ground. 

“We got a call from the CCE, from their staff directly,” she said. She noted that tribes could not receive funding from the CCE program until 2020. “Before, tribes never had access. Recently, the [California] Department of Social Services has been working to expand the CCE program, and that program’s staff reached out to us directly and asked us to see if the program could support our community. It was all perfect timing.” 

While the eligibility criteria are still being finalized, individuals must be older adults (generally 65 or older), registered tribal members and receive supplemental security income (SSI) or state supplementary payments (SSP), according to McGill. Priority will be given to individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or people living in substandard or overcrowded housing. 

In recent years, the housing authority’s planners have evaluated ways to meet the needs of elder tribal members. They found that many older adults they’d spoken to from local tribes want to downsize out of their larger, current homes, or find that their current living situation does not accommodate their needs as they age.

“When many of our members first moved in [to other NCIHA housing projects], they needed a four-bedroom home for themselves and their growing families,” McGill said. She said that a lot of elders are no longer able to sustain or clean their large homes. “Fast-forward 35 years, and we have elders living in houses that are far too big for them.”

She added that by creating an elder village, NCIHA can reduce overcrowded conditions in multigenerational homes by moving older adults into units that are safe and easy to navigate. It also frees up much-needed housing units for families.

“By moving them into a unit that is safe and perfect for accessibility, now we have a vacant unit for a family,” McGill explained. “You’re tackling two birds with one stone. You’re able to create housing opportunities that meet ADA requirements and house a family in a three- or four-bedroom unit.”

The elder village will be managed by the NCIHA, who will partner with the Consolidated Tribal Health Project to provide health services to residents.

Despite the progress, there is still work to be done. Jesse Davis, chief planning manager for the city of Ukiah, said the elder village project still needs to be officially submitted to the city for review but is likely to be approved. 

“Over the past year, city staff has engaged and supported NCIHA in facilitating a residential development proposal,” Davis said in an interview. “Staff is fully supportive of a residential development on Cooper Lane, which has long been identified as an underutilized parcel in the city’s housing elements.”

McGill hopes that the project will morph into something more than low-income housing.

“An elder village like this isn’t just an affordable housing project, it’s a cultural preservation project,” McGill said. “You’re bringing [together] the culture keepers and important people within your tribe, and you’re able to facilitate and encourage that passing of tradition, language and culture all through the space.”

McGill wants the village to provide a space where tribal elders can sustain the creative skills they are passionate about and pass those traditions on to future generations. 

“I would like to see basket weaving projects happen, for there to be language classes, and for the youth to come and learn about the elders,” she said. “For example, different families may weave differently, and this can be a way for them to share that space among each other.” 

“History is so important,” said Christine De Los Santos, the housing authority’s executive director. “It matters so much in the business that we are in, housing. Elders have a lot of knowledge that need to get out to other communities.” She’s eager to see how the Elder Village will support older adults who want to share their stories with younger generations. 

She added that many older adults just want to be listened to.

“We rely on our elders, and they have so many stories to give,” she explained. “It’s always nice when they talk to the youth, and they keep carrying that story on.”