HousingWireHousingWire
In one of the most robust housing assistance funding announcements of the second Trump administration so far, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Tuesday that it is making $1.1 billion in Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) funding available for eligible Native American Tribes and Tribal communities to “carry out affordable housing activities in Indian Country.”
The announcement included a full list of awardees and their funding amounts.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner said that the funding is designed to address housing challenges unique to these parts of the United States.
“From day one, HUD has been engaged on alleviating affordable housing challenges facing urban, rural, and Tribal communities,” Turner said. “Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to serve Tribal communities while working towards meeting Indian Country’s housing needs.”
According to a list of awardees released by HUD, Tribes and Tribal communities across 36 states will receive funding, varying in size from $110,000 on the low end to a maximum of $1,126,425, a single award (which will go to the Navajo Nation in Arizona).
Alaska is the state with the largest concentration of awardee Tribes and communities at 235, dwarfing the next largest single-state recipient of California (with 104 such communities).
“HUD has a strong partnership with Tribal nations, and I look forward to collaborating directly with Tribal leaders to expand housing opportunities and remove burdensome regulatory barriers that impede progress,” Turner said of the new funding.
Turner has recently amplified announcements for housing assistance to Tribal communities, including in a visit late last month to the Oneida Tribe reservation in Wisconsin. While there, he announced the redirection of $2.2 million to the Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program alongside Oneida leaders and U.S. Rep. Tony Wied (R-Wis.).
“The IHBG program is a formula grant that provides a range of affordable housing activities in Tribal communities,” HUD said. “Eligible activities include housing development, operation and modernization of existing housing, housing services to eligible families and individuals, crime prevention and safety, and model activities.”
