Tribal Member Benefits Department Mission

To provide Tribal Families with housing assistance opportunities while promoting a healthy living environment, creating a sense of community, and building economic self-sufficiency and community development. Dedicated to helping Tribal Citizens improve financial behaviors, build assets, and become financially secure, while delivering social benefit programs.

Forms

Housing Assistance Handbook

Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians’ Housing Assistance “Handbook” governs the housing activities of the Tribal Member Benefits Department. The Handbook contains a listing of each of the programs offered by the Department along with each program’s objective, benefit(s) offered and eligibility criteria. Handbooks are available in paper or electronic version, upon request. Tribal Citizens can download the Housing Assistance Handbook by logging into the member portal and visiting the “Forms & Documents” page.

Enrollment

The Tribal Member Benefits Department administers Resident Tribal Member enrollment for eligible Citizens that reside in the tax agreement area. RTM’s are exempt from both the sales tax and use tax on the following items regardless of where purchased or used provided they are purchased for non-commercial use: passenger vehicles including automobiles, pick-up trucks, recreational vehicles and motorcycles, recreational watercraft, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.

The Burial Fund program exists to provide assistance with funeral, burial, and any other final expenses incurred at the time of death for Tribal Citizens. Each Tribal Citizen’s beneficiary and/or estate shall be eligible for a Burial Benefit in the amount not to exceed $10,000. This program is an additional benefit to Tribal Citizens in addition to the Burial Assistance provision in the General Welfare Guide, Addendum, Section VII(F).

The Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver (MITW) was enacted by Public Act 174 of 1976, which waives only the tuition costs for eligible Citizens in public community colleges or universities within Michigan. Eligibility criteria for the MITW are:

• Citizen must qualify for admission at one of Michigan’s public colleges or universities
• Citizen must be ¼ or more Native American blood quantum as certified by your Tribal Enrollment Clerk
• Citizen must be an enrolled citizen of Gun Lake Tribe as certified by your Tribal Enrollment Clerk
• Citizen must be a legal resident of the state of Michigan for no less than 12 consecutive months