Jessica Cejnar Andrews / Friday, April 22, 2022 @ 4:33 p.m.
Klamath Glen's Steelhead Lodge Tapped For Yurok Tribal Homelessness Project; Susan Masten Says Sale to Yurok Indian Housing Authority Predated Berkowitz's Death, Her Appointment to DN Board of Supes
Yurok Tribal Seal
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Del Norte County’s newest supervisor confirmed Friday that she sold the Steelhead Lodge to the Yurok Indian Housing Authority, which is turning it into housing for those who are homeless using California Project Homekey dollars.
But that sale took place back in December or January, Susan Masten told the Wild Rivers Outpost, addressing allegations that she sold the Klamath Glen hotel to the Yurok Indian Housing Authority for political gain.
That was before her predecessor died, before California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to fill the District 5 vacancy and before she decided to run for the position in the June 7 primary.
“We started talking to them back in September,” Masten told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “They had to do an appraisal, that took a couple months, but we signed an agreement with them in December or January of this year.”
She pointed out that if she wasn’t running for county supervisor, her family’s decision to sell the Steelhead Lodge wouldn’t have been an issue.
“It was a business transaction that happened way before any of the politics occurred and I didn’t even know what grant they were applying for,” she said. “I only knew they were applying for a grant to purchase.”
Using $2.2 million in California Homekey dollars, the Yurok Indian Housing Authority plans to convert the Steelhead Lodge into housing for the homeless or those who are at risk of becoming homeless.
The units will be fully furnished and will offer homes to elders, families and individuals, the Yurok Tribe told the Eureka Times-Standard. Laundry, office and storage will also be available. The Yurok Homeless Housing Klamath Glen. The project is expected to be completed by mid-December, the Yurok Tribe told the Times-Standard.
The Yurok Tribe has not responded to the Outpost’s requests for comment.
The Yurok Homeless Housing Klamath Glen project is one of 55 Homekey endeavors the state has approved since Newsom announced a $2.75 billion extension of the program last year. Since then, Homekey programs has created 3,195 units for unhoused Californians, according to an April 13 news release from Newsom’s office.
On Friday, Masten said the Yurok Indian Housing Authority paid her $675,000 for the Steelhead Lodge. She said she and her husband sold the whole business to the Housing Authority, including a 30-space RV park, nine hotel rooms and a one-bedroom apartment.
The Yurok Indian Housing Authority also purchased the restaurant, though Masten said she and her husband plan to open it for a couple weekends as a farewell to the community.
Converting the hotel to permanent housing will take a lot of work, Masten said. There are drainage issues on the property that need to be addressed as well as an environmental assessment that needs to be done due to an old gas pump across the street. The Housing Authority will also have to rehab the rooms because the kitchenettes are older, Masten said.
As a county supervisor, Masten said she asked the Housing Authority to hold meetings in Klamath Glen to let residents know what their plans are.
After speaking with Klamath Glen residents, Masten said, their main concern is the availability of wraparound services so the project can be successful. She also pointed out that housing is a crucial need both for the Yurok Tribe and for Del Norte County.
“They were more than willing to do that because they want to improve communication also,” she told the Outpost. “I’ll be interested also to hear how they plan to meet those needs. I can’t speak to it because I really don’t know what their plans are. At this point I’m going to find out just like everyone else.”
Masten was appointed to the Board of Supervisors on April 8, about a month after former District 5 Supervisor Bob Berkowitz died. Masten hopes to stay on the seat past the June 7 primary, running against former sheriff, Dean Wilson, Klamath Chamber of Commerce President David Jones, Klamath resident Terri Colton and Bertsch Tract resident David Markel.
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