HUD awards nearly $200 million for affordable housing in Native American communities

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced nearly $200 million in grant awards to 52 Native American Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) across the Nation for new housing construction, housing rehabilitation, and critical infrastructure projects. HUD announced the grants during the 2019 National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) Legal Symposium in Las Vegas.

"HUD is excited for this new opportunity to better serve Native American communities through our government-to-government relationship with the Tribes," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "I look forward to seeing the new housing units and renovations the Tribes will complete with this much needed investment in affordable housing."

These grants will be awarded through HUD's Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program to help construct approximately 1,200 new housing units for low-income families living on Indian reservations or in other Indian areas, and spur economic opportunities in distressed communities to help our neediest families. Additionally, our Tribal partners are maximizing this investment by leveraging an estimated $90 million dollars in additional resources. Many of the grantees announced today are located in Opportunity Zones. Created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Opportunity Zones aim to stimulate long-term investments in low-income communities.

"HUD is committed to working collaboratively to address housing needs with our Native American partners," said HUD Assistant Secretary Hunter Kurtz. "The IHBG program is a wonderful example of how HUD continues to invest in Tribal communities."

The IHBG competition was extremely competitive. HUD received almost 200 applications from eligible Native American Tribes and TDHEs. Today's awards are the result of a thoughtful and rigorous application process.