Port Gamble S'Klallam builds a healthy housing ecosystem on the Kitsnap Peninsula

Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe

The Port Gamble S’Klallam, originally known as the Nux Sklai Yem (“Strong People”), are Salish descendants who've lived in the Puget Sound area since 2400 BCE. Their reservation, located at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State, was established in the late 1930s. Many of the tribe’s 1,400 members still live there today.

Their vision is to achieve their community's full potential as a self-sufficient, proud, strong, healthy, educated, and respected sovereign nation.

• Project purpose

  In collaboration with the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, we worked with community members, an advisory council, government leaders, and partners to develop a comprehensive strategy for safe and affordable housing across generations and income levels. We addressed local entrepreneurship, workforce development, homeowner readiness services, financing, housing policy, and funding opportunities.

• Objectives

  • Develop an action-oriented, diverse advisory council.

  • Engage in collaborative research and survey dispersal with community members.

  • Provide locally appropriate, culturally responsive data analysis.

  • Facilitate and market a housing strategy by and for community members.

  • Develop an actionable strategic plan that brings together multiple stakeholders and actors for the purpose of meeting the housing-related needs of the Port Gamble S’Klallam.

• Outcomes

  We identified strengths, needs, and opportunities for systemic change. Through strategic planning and stakeholder alignment, we facilitated the development of a housing strategy that reflects community priorities and drives sustainable impact.

• Timeline

  Jan 2025–Mar 2026

• Project team

  Max Van Oostenburg — Project lead, research tool design, advisory council facilitation, data collection and analysis, report writing

  Michael Brydge — Advisory council development, community listening session facilitation, and data collection and analysis

  Andrea Mader — Survey data analysis

  Jodi Wolfe — Graphic and layout design, data visualization, and marketing materials

“The whole process was amazing and I am grateful each step was completed before moving on to the next. Really, my best experience working with consultants. I loved the way you all embraced our community.” —Kara Horton, Port Gamble S'Klallam Housing Authority

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