Delle Chiare has been teaching at the United Indians for All Tribes Education and Employment Center in Eastlake for 18 years, helping tribal members from all over America get their high school diplomas and find gainful employment.
When many folks think of the United Indians, they don't look further than Magnolia's Discovery Park, where the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center and a Head Start program are located.
But Delle Chiare and Roxanne Finney would beg to differ. Delle Chiare heads up United Indians Education and Employment Center on Yale Place East in Eastlake. Finney has been working and supervising the Ina Naka (Mother Earth in Lakota) program in Eastlake for suffering Indian families for 14 years.
"People don't understand that we do a lot of different things," said Finney, a member of the Sioux Nation.
And even when performing conventional social work, United Indians has its own spin.
They send a "kia" (Salish for grandmother) out with social workers to ease home visits, said Susan Goldman, United Indians development director.
"A kia was in the mall shopping, and a little girl came running up to her. 'Kia, I thought I would never see you again,'" Goldman recounted.
Escaping drug addiction
In addition to education and social services, United Indians also has a drug abuse treatment program on Eastlake.
Laura, whose last name has been withheld by request, had been sexually abused as a child before coming to United Indians. She entered United Indians' drug and alcohol treatment program after being referred by the courts.
After attending United Indians group sessions and developing a trusting relationship with her counselors, she entered an in-patient drug program. Laura is now living in a stable situation and is drug-free.
Laura is not affiliated with any tribe, which is another part of the United Indians mandate. United Indians for All Tribes means exactly that, according to Della Chiare.
"We are an urban Indian program. We accept any tribe. We have clients and students from Alaska, California, New York, the Southwest, anywhere," Delle Chiare said.
"There are 29 tribes just in this state," Finney added, "and we serve them all."
Getting off the streets
James, whose last name has been withheld by request, was homeless at age 12 and had joined a gang by 14. But after attending United Indians' homeless youth program, he went from the streets into a residential youth house and is now a sophomore in college, according to Goldman.
But Goldman, Finney and Delle Chiare all say their task of educating and helping Indians is growing harder for one reason - lack of funding.
"I've seen good things happen ... but it's three steps forward, five back. It's going to take a long time for change to happen and we get programs, like working with batterers, and they might get funded for a few years and then we lose funding. We need ongoing [financial] support," Finney said.
"We don't get casino monies," Delle Chiare added.
Finney emphasized that part of the funding problem is because the organization is not a particular tribe.
"Tribes get federal set-aside monies. We don't. We're a nonprofit organization," Finney added.
Schooling takes a hit
Money for education has also shrunk.
"In terms of education there is not the same interest. The Indian Education Act of 1972 was killed in the mid-'90s," Delle Chiare said.
He noted that education funding has been cut in half.
"And Seattle has closed the Indian Heritage School because their numbers [class] were too low.... But this always happens [to Indians] ... I cry foul. Indians have the worst numbers in terms of dropouts and [yet] the lowest number of programs, and we're the last funded, too," Delle Chiare said.
The state's budget problems are also affecting United Indians.
"This year the governor definitely had some budget problems ... and [the state] closed six Washington Association of Education Centers ... we no longer have that money: $50,000," Delle Chiare noted.
He noted that the money could even be used to take care of students' basic transportation needs.
"Right now we do not even have bus passes. I give them a dollar sometimes so they can come back the next day. We used to have bus passes but even that's been cut," Delle Chiare explained.
Finney once had a staff of 14 and offered social services to 300 Indian families a year. Right now, she has a staff of seven and sees between 100 and 150 families, even though the number of families suffering from problems related to poverty, drug abuse and domestic violence isn't shrinking in the tribal population she serves.
And Delle Chiare has seen his staff of educators - he assists 1,100 Indians with trying to earn their G.E.D.s each year - drop from 11 to three.
But nobody at United Indians is talking about throwing in the towel. The group has a short but storied history of fighting for Indians.
The United Indians of All Tribes Foundation was founded in 1970 and started off by briefly occupying Fort Lawton (on the Magnolia Bluffs).
Out of the public eye
One of the founders, Bernie Whitebear, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribe, was very well known for his charismatic and colorful outspokenness.
But Whitebear recently died, and the organization, despite all its good work, hasn't been in the public eye during this period of government funding cuts.
"I used to bring in Roger Fernandez [an artist]. I can't afford to do that now," Delle Chiare said.
"We could do a sweat lodge. But a cord of wood and getting it chopped ... we can't afford it," Finney added.
Goldman is hoping private donors will help get programs cut for lack of funding - like the batterer's program - back up and running.
United Tribes is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, community-based agency providing a wide range of services to more than 20,000 American Indians from early childhood development through family counseling.
They even offer an outreach program at the King County Jail.The organization wants to continue providing all of these things to America's first citizens, but it's more and more difficult.
Anyone interested in the United Indians' services or in donating to the organization should call 285-4425, ext. 38.
Freelance writer Dennis Wilken is a Queen Anne resident.
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