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your homegrown newspaper January 7, 2026
Vol. 22, No. 18
CSKT transitional housing facility construction underway By Joyce Lobeck for the Valley Journal
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Ice Arena pg. 5
Smith River pg. 8
Helping Hands pg. 14
fter years of recognizing the need for a facility where tribal families who were separated can be healed and reunited, that project is now well underway. The “spark” came from Patricia Hibbeler, former director of tribal membership services. “She told me there was a need to create a building where families can be reunited … do what you can for the people,” recalled Jody Perez, executive director of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority. That building, first planned in 2022, is rapidly becoming a reality. Construction began in June 2025 for a facility in Ronan that will have 12 two-and-three-bedroom apartments for the families, a communal living area and services to support them. It is expected to be completed by July 2026. The apartments will be for low-income tribal members in the CSKT Child Protective Ser-
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALISH AND KOOTENAI HOUSING AUTHORITY
A drone photo show the progress of the transitional housing project under construction in Ronan for the CSKT Child Protective Services program.
vices Program. They will receive support services through CPS and rental assistance through the housing authority during the time they reside there. The $4.3 million project is being funded through a $3.8 million Indian Housing Competitive Block Grant from HUD and the remaining funds from money CSKT received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The project is on the north end of Ronan near the Boys and Girls Club. A skate park built last year is nearby. In addition, the city has provided a grant for an outdoor recreational space in the same area. “When Child Protective Services removes children, it’s hard for them to get back together,” Perez said. “The root cause is parents coping with trauma through bad medicine. Support w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
services will help reunite them when the parents change their coping behavior … working on more secure footing to strengthen their families.” Need for the program is personal for Perez, who has experienced the pain and trauma of being separated from her cultural and biological family because her father was a child who was adopted out and raised in a non-tribal environment. “Hopefully, this will
keep children in a safe place where they know who they are,” she said. “We want to help parents be what their kids need. Learn healthy coping. We want a place for our people to heal. We want them to be strong enough to turn that corner. When they’re on the right path, be reunited with their families.” Perez said realization of the project has been a see page 2