Tulalip Tribes open new low-barrier shelter for homeless members

On Monday members of the Tulalip Tribes gathered in front of a cluster of small, white huts on the Tulalip Indian Reservation.

People burned sage as musicians and singers performed a blessing ceremony in front of the village.

These structures will soon be home to up to 30 Tulalip citizens who do not have stable shelter.

"This means the difference between life and death for our people,” said Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman Teri Gobin.

Gobin and other leaders got the idea for the shelters a couple of winters ago when overnight temperatures dropped to dangerously low levels. They started a hotel voucher program for people to get out of the cold.