Twenty new shelters are now open on the Tulalip Indian reservation that will house up to 30 men, women and children.
The project is a rare and unique opportunity.
“When I started researching this, I couldn’t find anything like it on a reservation,” said Tulalip Chief Administrative Officer Rochelle Lubbers. “This is something special.”
The roads around the reservation expose a sad reality. People push shopping carts that contain everything they own. A man sorts through piles of garbage looking for something to eat.
Lives are being lost to addiction and poverty. Futures are falling apart.
Sarah Al-Khalil knows all about it. She was addicted on this reservation, and lost her home, her teaching job and her three kids.
Al-Khalil was barely surviving.
“If you can’t get out of survival mode, then you can’t get clean and you can’t get support,” Al-Khalil said.
Federal statistics show Native Americans make up less than 2% of the U.S. population but 10% of the homeless population.
These new shelters are opening a door to recovery on the Tulalip reservation. They come equipped with a bed, electricity, heat and air conditioning.
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