The Cherokee Nation is participating in the HUD's Section 184 Skilled Workers Demonstration Program to construct rental dwelling units in Cherokee communities for skilled workers in multiple fields.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Cherokee Nation is participating in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 184 Skilled Workers Demonstration Program, which will allow for the construction of multiple rental dwelling units in Cherokee communities that will be provided to skilled workers in multiple professional fields.
The HUD program is a loan program that aids organizations in recruiting skilled workers for hard-to-fill or hard-to-recruit positions. The Cherokee Nation, Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation Businesses have worked together to identify those positions in fields such a law enforcement, healthcare, education, contracting, housing and the culinary arts.
The Cherokee Nation is one of the first tribes to be approved for the HUD program.
"This demonstration program has the opportunity to make a big impact on our Cherokee communities that need assistance in recruiting skilled and essential workers," Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. "The Cherokee Nation has always prioritized the housing needs for our Cherokee communities, and this program is just another example of how we're providing better resources to accommodate those needs."
As defined by the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation's HUD Section 184 Skilled Workers Demonstration Program Policy, a skilled worker has acquired mastery or training in a particular occupation, craft or trade, such as law enforcement workers, including tribal; health care workers; teachers, including Cherokee language instructors; plumbers, electricians and HVAC technicians; carpenters, painters, bricklayers, roofers, and other construction workers; and cooks who are employed in tribal facilities or at community elder nutrition sites.
The housing made available by this program will be provided to Cherokee citizen employees, citizens of other tribal nations or non-Native people. At least one member of the renter's household must be employed as a skilled worker at the time of initial leasing of the property and must sign the lease.
The Cherokee Nation will secure Section 184 funding in order to construct the additional housing units and meet the needs of several of the most critical employment recruitment and retention efforts.
The demonstration program will first roll out in Ochelata. If successful, the program will expand to other locations.
The new HUD funding comes on the heels of the tribe's own historic Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, which is injecting $120 million in housing rehab, new home construction and other housing-related programs, the largest such investment in the tribe's history.
