HOUSING Tenure and Type of Structure Among Siletz Indian families, approximately the same percentage own their homes as rent their homes. Within the 8-county service area there is a slightly higher percentage who rent; outside the service area is a higher percentage who own. Within the service area, where families were personally interviewed, over 8 percent shared homes with another family. The specific relationship between the two groups in terms of payment for shelter was not recorded. Table 7 presents this information as well as comparisons with Lincoln County and Western United States tenure statistics. Over two-thirds of Siletz Indian families live in singlefamily structures. This is comparable to the general housing pattern in Lincoln County and the Western United States. A higher percentage of Siletz Indian families live in mobile homes than households of the general population. Detailed data on type of housing structure is also presented in Table 7. TABLE 7 HOUSING PATTERNS AMONG SILETZ INDIAN FAMILIES HOUSING DATA BASE FOR LINCOLN COUNTY, RICHARD L. RAGATZ ASSOCIATES, INC., ANNUAL HOUSING SURVEY 1975, UNITED STATES AND REGIONS, GENERAL HOUSING Housing Condition The Indian Health Service (IHS) is currently conducting a survey of housing conditions among Siletz Indian families as a part of its sanitation facilities program. The purpose of the survey is to document the need for capital improvements that will provide a potable water supply and a safe means of waste disposal for homes with substandard facilities. In addition to inspecting the water supply and sanitary sewer facilities, the IHS sanitarian is also surveying the structural condition of the homes. The survey sample was limited to those homes not receiving Although the survey is only partially completed, the preliminary results show a high degree of substandard housing conditions among Siletz Indian families. Even if all housing units not included in the study sample were standard (which is unlikely), 18 percent of the Siletz housing within the service area would have either substandard water facilities, septic facilities, or both. For the homes surveyed, 8.4 percent of the units are substandard and beyond feasible rehabilitation, 19.3 percent are in marginal but rehabilitatable condition, and 5.9 percent are in standard or good condition. These data and comparable data for Lincoln County and Oregon are included in Table 8. The comparison shows that even disregarding the conditions in two-thirds of the Siletz Indian housing stock within the service area, the percentage of substandard housing units and units in need of repair is greater than that of the housing units of the general population 27.7 percent for the Siletz Indians, 23.8 percent for Lincoln County, and 10.0 percent for Oregon. FAMILY INCOME Median and Mean Family Income The most general measure of a group's overall economic position is income. A number of studies have been completed in recent years that compare the income of Indian people with STANDARD MEETS STATE BUILDING CODE REGULATIONS. REHABILITATABLE REPAIRS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE "STANDARD" RATING WOULD COST LESS THAN HALF THE VALUE OF THE STRUCTURE. SUBSTANDARD REPAIRS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE "STANDARD" RATING WOULD COST SOURCES: 1. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE SANITARY FACILITIES PROGRAM SURVEY, MAY, 1979. 2. HOUSING DATA BASE FOR LINCOLN COUNTY, RICHARD L. RAGATZ ASSOCIATED. 3. OREGON STATE HOUSING DIVISION UPDATE OF 1970 CENSUS OF POPULATION DATA, In that of the general population and other ethnic groups. 1975, Levitan and Johnston reported that the "overall Indian average income is ... the lowest among any ethnic group."1) This national trend is also exemplified in the case of the Siletz Indians. The 1978 Siletz Indian median household income within the service area ($7,820) represents only 55 percent of the 1977 Lincoln County figure ($14,118) and 47 percent of the 1977 state figure ($16,768). This income discrepancy is even more pronounced with regard to per capita income income. The 1978 Siletz Indian per capita for the service area ($2,640) represents only 38 percent of the 1977 Oregon per capita income ($7,007) and the United States average per capita income ($7,019). These percentages would undoubtedly drop further if 1978 county, state, and national income data were available. A detailed breakdown of Siletz family income is presented in Table 9. Levitan and Johnston, Indian Giving: Federal Programs for Native Americans, John Hopkins University Press, 1975, p. 11. Approximately two-thirds of the families inside the service area as well as outside the service area derive their income primarily from wages. The remaining one-third of the families receive income from a combination of disability compensation, public assistance, retirement or social security, and selfemployment. This latter group has the lowest income. About 10 percent of the families receive unemployment compensation, an income source available only to wage earners. A more detailed summary of income source information is presented in Table 10. SERA SURVEY 1978 Adequacy of Income Over one-third (35.5 percent) of the Siletz Indian families living inside the service area and 18 percent of those living outside the service area had incomes below the official United States 1978 poverty level. The poverty level was established at $5,180 for 3-person nonfarm families by the Community Services Administration as a method for updating 1970 census data. The most recent comparable figures are 1975 figures which indicate that 8.9 percent and 11.4 percent of Oregon and United States families, respectively, had incomes below the poverty level.1) When asked about the adequacy of their income to provide food, clothing, and shelter, nearly 40 percent of the families inside the service area and over 30 percent of the families outside the service area reported a "marginal," "inadequate" or "very inadequate" income. An even greater percentage of families have difficulty meeting their medical and dental care needs. Specific information on income shortages and the poverty level information discussed above are summarized in Table 11. 1) • THESE FIGURES ARE FROM 1975 RATHER THAN 1978. IT IS LIKELY THAT SOURCES: SERA SURVEY, 1978 SOCIAL ACCOUNTING FOR OREGON, SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS, Social Accounting for Oregon, Socio-Economic Indicators |