White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) Meth Awareness Team. Michael Lupe Bernadette Clarkson

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) Meth Awareness Team. Michael Lupe Bernadette Clarkson"

Darcy Booker
5 years ago
Views:

1 White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) Meth Awareness Team Michael Lupe Bernadette Clarkson

White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) The WMAHA is located in Whiteriver, Arizona on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. The reservation contains 1.6 million acres.

3 White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) The WMAHA is located in Whiteriver, Arizona on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. The reservation contains 1.6 million acres. The White Mountain Apache Tribe consists of 16, 867 tribal enrolled members who are living in 1,210 WMAHA units (rental, tax credit, mutual help, Apache Dawn, student housing, temporary shelter, HIP & Veteran Rehab) (13) Housing Security Officers patrol the various projects that stretch over 150 miles in distance from the communities.

4 Meth Awareness Team Mission Statement To ensure good health & safety of our Tribal citizens by serving as an agent of providing prevention education & community awareness about the problem of meth use & the dangers it has to both users & non-users of the drug. (The Meth Awareness Team consist of employees of the departments within the WMAHA)

What is Methamphetamine? Meth is reported to increase energy, suppresses appetite and contributes to loss of sleep for individuals who intake the drug regularly.

5 What is Methamphetamine? Meth is reported to increase energy, suppresses appetite and contributes to loss of sleep for individuals who intake the drug regularly. Long term effects of Meth on the human body include: Liver, kidney and brain damage Memory loss, paranoia and hallucinations Weight loss Severe dental damages When Meth is smoked in a house or car, the residual contamination can be present for years or possibly decades until properly remediated. Meth will not degrade over time.

How Meth is Developed The manufacturing or cooking methods of Meth vary because there are different chemicals that create dangerous hazards and health concerns from exposure.

6 How Meth is Developed The manufacturing or cooking methods of Meth vary because there are different chemicals that create dangerous hazards and health concerns from exposure. Common household cleaning solutions have been used to manufacture Meth from the chemicals found in the cleaning products. The area of concern is the final/complete Meth residue product and the precursor chemicals used in the manufacturing/ cooking process. There is a difference between Meth residue from smoking the drug VS. manufacturing or cooking the drug. Cooking Meth is the most harmful from the combined chemicals that release toxic fumes that are extremely dangerous.

Users abuse the drug for its euphoric effects on the body.

7 How Methamphetamine Is Abused Meth can be injected, smoked, snorted or ingested orally. The common method of Meth abuse varies by region and changes over time. Users abuse the drug for its euphoric effects on the body. Meth users have reported feeling energetic and powerful. But a crash inevitably follows the high. To avoid the crash, users take more Meth. A tolerance develops quickly, which leads to addiction.

8 Challenges Increased activity of other crime types (DUI, domestic violence, theft, etc.) No specified or set-aside budget for meth cleanup or investigations Limited local law enforcement High unemployment rate and high poverty levels are linked with Meth use among tribal members Tribal Legal and Prosecution - Lack of support Tribal political interference / Leadership changes New tribal administration causes modifications in tribal priorities

Preventative Strategies In 2016, the Meth Awareness Team was created with WMAHA staff to inform tenants and the public about the dangers of Meth.

9 Preventative Strategies In 2016, the Meth Awareness Team was created with WMAHA staff to inform tenants and the public about the dangers of Meth. The WMAHA presented to the Tribal Council, who approved a Tribal Resolution for mandating all Tribal departments to serve on the Meth Awareness Team as a supportive organization. In 2016, the WMAHA applied for the EPA Brownfields clean-up grant for $600,000. WMAHA was awarded the grant funding. Currently, the WMAHA is researching other types of drug enforcement tactics. For example, the WMAHA is interested in using a K-9 from local law enforcement to search tenant homes for possible drugs including Meth.

10 Preventative Strategies The EPA Brownfields clean-up grant serves as the method to cover the costs of the remediation process. Meth remediation costs vary depending on the contractor/vendor, but the costs are very expensive. The WMAHA is negatively impacted to select NEW construction development or addressing the Meth epidemic for the low-income families. The WMAHA is the 1 st tribal department to apply and receive the EPA Brownfields grant from the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

11 Article on Indianz.com, a Native American News, Information & Entertainment website e-news-white-mountain-apache-trib.asp Note: the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority was the recipient of the grant award on behalf of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

12 Press release from EPA on Brownfields Grant Award to The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA).

Outreach Methods The Meth Awareness Team has presented to local schools, Tribal departments and the public throughout the reservation since 2016.

13 Outreach Methods The Meth Awareness Team has presented to local schools, Tribal departments and the public throughout the reservation since In March 2016, the Meth Awareness Team held a town meeting addressing the Meth problem. The town meeting hosted county sheriffs, FBI, BIA, other law enforcement, correctional departments from the reservation and Northeastern counties of Arizona. The tribal members are also informed of the unhealthy and dangerous use of Meth among the reservation, which is translated in the Apache language over the local radio station.

14 Policies and Procedures In 2016, the WMAHA developed a drug policy addressing the protocol when Meth is detected in tenant homes. However, this drug policy has been amended to meet the safety needs of the WMAHA personnel and the tenants. The policy has enforced a Meth test which is performed after and before a tenant has moved in/out of a home. The Meth test determines the presence of Meth in the unit. If the Meth test is positive, then a contractor is notified to immediately remediate the home before a family is moved in.

15 Policies and Procedures Justification Protocol for Meth testing: 1. A housing security officer tests the unit/home if drug paraphernalia or drugs are found in the home in order to test the unit for Meth. 2. A contractor is notified to do a Meth pre-test of the unit. The pre-test will provide the amount of Meth (residue) present in the unit. 3. If Meth is present, the Meth test will be positive. For a positive result, then the unit will be remediated by a contractor and the WMAHA Meth remediation crew. Meth test kit and equipment

16 Policies and Procedures Justification 4. After the remediation process is complete, the unit is tested again (post-test) for Meth presence. 5. If the post-test is positive than another remediation process is ordered until the unit test result is negative. A negative test means there is no contamination of Meth. How the Meth test is performed in a home 6. Once the unit is clean, a family is able to movein.

The Tenant is entitled to their grievance (due process), in which they must submit a grievance letter.

17 Policies and Procedures Continued In the event a Tenant s home test positive for Meth, the Tenant must immediately move out at the time of detection. For safety and health precautions. The Tenant is entitled to their grievance (due process), in which they must submit a grievance letter. The Tenant presents their case to the Grievance Panel, who are local tribal members. If the Tenant does not submit the grievance letter, this will automatically result in Termination of their tenant lease agreement.

For Tenant s who are Reinstated, there are severe restrictions the Tenant must follow.

18 Policies and Procedures Continued The Grievance Panel listens to the Tenant s case and comes to an agreement to Reinstate or Terminate the Tenant based on the information provided. For Tenant s who are Reinstated, there are severe restrictions the Tenant must follow. Also, the Tenant is responsible for the Meth Remediation cost of their unit. Note, that the Meth Remediation process takes time to fully clean the home. The cleaning process can range from 3 14 days.

19 Policy recommendations in proposed NAIHC Resolution Appropriate $100 million per year to federally recognized tribes to address the cost of meth detection, remediation and prevention; Give priority to construction and rehabilitation projects that include the cost of meth detection and remediation for awarding competitive grants to eligible recipients through the $100 million competitive grants program authorized in FY 18 Omnibus Spending Bill; Create a National Methamphetamine Task Force in Indian Country comprised of TDHEs and other relevant stakeholders and federal agencies; Convene a National Methamphetamine Summit for Indian Country in FY 2019; and Include methamphetamine awareness as part of the federal government s response to the opioid crisis in Rural America.

20 Thank you! Questions?

Methamphetamine: A Devastation in Indian Country and Funding Needs Dave Heisterkamp Sylvia Wirba Wagenlander & Heisterkamp LLC December 7, 2016

Methamphetamine: A Devastation in Indian Country and Funding Needs Dave Heisterkamp Sylvia Wirba Wagenlander & Heisterkamp LLC December 7, 2016 Methamphetamine: A Devastation in Indian 1 What is Methamphetamine