COVID-19 relief program now available for Tribal members

COVID-19 relief program now available for Tribal members

Updates 6/24/2020:

  • The application form has been updated with minor changes.
  • Please feel free to send questions you have to CAP@puyalluptribe-nsn.gov. Staff will respond, and your questions will help them serve you more effectively.
  • Have questions? Read our FAQ

Update 6/20/2020:

We know you will have many questions about this program, including what expenses and losses qualify.

Some of your questions may be answered under the FAQs included in this post.

You also can help our staff best serve you by sending questions to CAP@puyalluptribe-nsn.gov.

If you still have questions, you may contact CAP representatives during regular hours. They will be available to help you identify eligible losses and to answer specific questions before you apply. Any personal questions staff ask you is solely to help you and ensure we are in federal compliance. It will be kept confidential.

Although Council has directed the CAP Department to administer this new and temporary program it is not a CAP program. It is a program open to all of the Tribal membership, subject to the federal CARES Act. There is a per-person limit, but applicants are not competing against each other for funds. The program has enough funding to fill all applications that meet requirements.

From Puyallup Tribal Council

June 19, 2020

txʷəl gʷəlapu, gʷəlapu siʔiʔab dʔiišəd, dsyayayəʔ. To all of you, our honorable people and relatives,

Thank you for your perseverance through the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our latest update on the crisis and actions we are taking to serve you.

Our Tribe has been very successful in our efforts to get federal CARES Act funding. Unfortunately this funding comes with a lot of strings attached. We cannot use it to simply backfill lost revenue or use it outright to pay salaries.

However, we can use it to compensate our membership for financial losses and expenses due to COVID-19, such as lost wages, increases in food costs, childcare expenses due to school closures, and the purchase of items such as masks and hand sanitizer.

Adult Tribal Members are eligible for up to $4,000, and minor Tribal Members are eligible for up to $750 payable to the parent or legal guardian for household expenses. Enclosed please find an application form and instructions. You will need to be able to document your claim.

This is one of several actions Council is taking to protect you financially. Throughout this pandemic, we have kept vital services open and available to our membership despite losing vast amounts of revenue after we closed the casinos. Council also is directing staff to ensure that assistance programs and departments such as Set Aside Housing, Higher Education and Emergency Housing Repair have the funding they need to continue providing services you may need.

Sincerely,

The Puyallup Tribal Council: Chairman David Z. Bean, Vice Chairman Bill Sterud,
Councilmembers Sylvia Miller, Tim Reynon, Annette Bryan, James Rideout and Anna Bean