A federal grant of over $16 million has been awarded to 9 Oregon tribes to provide affordable housing for tribal communities.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development made the award as part of a nationwide Block Grant. The money will be divided among the 9 tribes. The amount each tribe receives is based on a formula that considers local needs and existing housing already managed by the tribe. The money will be available for the tribes to begin work by the end of summer.
Some of the eligible activities for the funds include new construction, maintenance, and management services. Also eligible are crime prevention, safety, and creative solutions to the shortage of affordable housing.
These funds are part of $655 million in Indian Housing Block Grants to Tribes in 38 states.
Lee Jones, a regional director for HUD, explains why the fund was created: "The tribes provide a host of services to their members both on-reservation and off. But certainly from our perspective one of the more important services they provide is housing, and we’re a principal funding source for their activities. The primary focus here is to ensure affordable rental housing for the most vulnerable of the tribal members just as in non-tribal areas we provide dollars for housing for the most vulnerable people in larger cities like Medford and others."
Indian Housing Block Grants primarily benefit low-income Native American and Alaska Native families.
