RONAN — A new apartment complex is going up in Ronan, but it's not just meeting a demand for housing on the Flathead Reservation. Instead, it's meant to be a place where CSKT families can reunite.
"The more we can support each other, the stronger we are as a human race," Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority Executive Director Jody Cahoon Perez said.
The Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA) is working with the CSKT Child Protective Services Program to reunite families previously separated due to unhealthy behavior.
"This project in particular is close to my heart because my dad was adopted out. And it cut me off from my tribal culture and so if we had a program like this when he was born maybe I would still be connected with my biological family," Cahoon Perez told MTN.
However, to reconnect, those families often need a safe space to grow and learn.
"They're going to need a transitional space, right? So, they have to relearn how to parent or maybe even for the first time, what it means to be a steady, stable parent, a reliable person in that child's life," Cahoon Perez said.
That's why a new 12-family apartment complex is being built in Ronan.
"We had applied for a HUD Indian housing block grant, competitive grant, for fiscal year 2023, and we were awarded $3.8 million for that grant, and the tribe contributed $2.5 million of their CSKT ARPA funds," Cahoon Perez explained regarding the building's construction cost.
"With the the quality of work that's being done, it should last them a long time. It's in a nice location. I think it was well thought out and should be great for a long time," SKHA Assistant Executive Director Sid Shourds added.
The plan is to offer in-house life changing services as well as an affordable place to live.
"Tribal Health will provide mental health services and I'm sure some will be addiction recovery and then they will also do life skills. The housing authority is going to allocate 12 vouchers for rental assistance, and they're going to be project specific just for here," Cahoon Perez said.
"Families only use 30% of their income for the rent, and then we pay the difference up to fair market. We will be subsidizing the rent and then the tribes can use that to pay for the property management and a lot of the programming fees," Cahoon Perez said.
When construction is complete, this won't just be a roof over people's heads. It'll be a safe space for anyone along their journey to family reunification.
"I feel like the community in this building, they're all going to be striving for the same thing, which is their personal progress and their family stability," Cahoon Perez shared.
By reuniting families, the SKHA team hopes this apartment complex will help end dysfunctional cycles.
"Shifting the odds in their favor and the kids are going to win," Cahoon Perez said.
The complex's opening is planned for July 2026.
To learn more about SKHA, click here.
