By Courtney Bell, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — Five Oklahoma tribes have been awarded a total of $1.6 million in grant money to support affordable housing and community development projects.
Tribal leaders with the Cheyenne and Arapaho, Iowa, Osage Nation, Otoe-Missouria and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians plan to use the money to improve housing conditions or accessibility for veterans and older or impoverished members.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Housing Authority received $500,000 to build three tiny homes and offer rental assistance to tribe members.
Damon Dunbar, the executive director of the tribe’s Housing Authority, said the money will also go toward down payment support for members.
Dunbar said tribes receive grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Development to support their housing initiatives, but that money comes with restrictions.
His tribe has a waiting list of people seeking down payment assistance, including a few who may be making just above HUD’s income eligibility thresholds.
The tribe will offer $15,000 stipends for down payment assistance for members slightly above the income threshold, Dunbar said.
The Bah-Kho-Je Housing Authority, which serves the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, received $400,000 to renovate an RV park into a permanent housing community. The money will pay for two or three multi-bedroom houses that, pooled with other grant money, will allow construction of a larger community with permanent housing options.
Jake Keyes, Iowa Tribe chair, said this will provide housing access for older and lower-income members.
The Osage Nation Housing Department and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians both received $250,000. The Osage Nation will use the money to build three tiny homes for homeless or at-risk veterans.
The UKB is using the money to build two single-bedroom homes for the tribe’s older members. This construction, plus another older adult and veteran housing project, will help address the tribe’s housing shortage, said Richard Vann, assistant director of housing.
“We desperately need it in our area, especially for our elders,” Vann said.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe will offer home repairs and rental assistance to tribal members with its $200,000.
The money was awarded from the Native American Housing Initiatives grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank, a group of 11 regional banks that offer mortgage loans, housing assistance and asset-liability management to its member institutions.
The bank spends 15% of its annual income on housing grants, said spokesperson Kylie Mergen. Most is required to go toward lower-income housing opportunities, but the bank has some flexibility to create region-specific programs.
