WASHINGTON – (RealEstateRama) — After three years of negotiation with federally and state-recognized tribes across the country, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a new funding formula used to allocate funds through the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program. Read HUD’s new rule.
The Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) requires HUD to update IHBG’s funding formula periodically through a negotiated rulemaking process with grant recipients. As a result of this process and a year-long study of potential data sources to be used in this formula, HUD reached a consensus on most issues. The proposed rule was announced in May 2016 and reflected HUD’s decisions for both consensus and non-consensus issues, with the intention of improving and clarifying the current regulations.
The IHBG Formula Negotiated Rulemaking Committee consisted of two HUD staff and representatives of 24 designated tribal governments (or authorized designees of those tribal governments) which reflects a balanced representation of Indian tribes geographically and based on size.
“HUD’s commitment to honoring our government-to-government relationship with tribal nations resulted in this new negotiated rule,” said Lourdes Castro Ramírez, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. “We thank the dedicated and knowledgeable tribal representatives for their meaningful engagement.”
“This process was very important and collaborative, and took all comments into serious consideration before making final decisions,” said Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Co-Chairs Jason Dollarhide and Annette Bryan. “The committee worked in good faith in a consensus decision-making process with the goal of doing what was in the best interest of all tribes.”
The IHBG Program is the single largest source of affordable housing assistance in Native American communities. Over the life of the program, recipients built or acquired nearly 37,000 affordable homes and have rehabilitated more than 77,000 others.
The IHBG allocations are distributed each year to eligible Indian tribes or their tribally designated housing entities for a range of affordable housing activities. Through the program, HUD provides federal housing assistance for Indian tribes in a manner that recognizes the right of Indian self-determination and tribal self-government. In February, HUD announced more than $660 million in grant allocations to 587 Native American tribes in 35 states for fiscal year 2016. The funds benefit low-income families living on Indian reservations or in other American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The amount of each grant is based on a formula that considers local needs and housing units under management by the tribe or designated entity.
Eligible activities for the funds include housing development, assistance to housing developed under the Indian Housing Program of the 1937 Housing Act, housing services to eligible families and individuals, housing management services, crime prevention and safety, and HUD-approved model activities that provide creative approaches to solving affordable housing problems. The block grant approach to housing was enabled by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA).
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HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.
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Elena Gaona
202-708-0685
http://www.hud.gov/news/index.cfm
