BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $10 MILLION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING GRANTS FOR FIVE ALASKA VILLAGES

ANCHORAGE, AK - Five Alaska villages and tribal housing authorities will receive more than $10 million in federal assistance to promote affordable housing, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced today (see chart below).

"These grants do so much good for so many people," Jackson said. "This money helps Native American and Alaskan Native communities do the critical work of providing affordable housing and helping our most vulnerable neighbors."

"NAHASDA funds have supported a good deal of affordable housing development in rural Alaska over the years," said Colleen Bickford, Alaska's field office director, "and we're pleased to allocate these funds to further promote
affordable housing. The funds are sorely needed."

The funding announced today falls under HUD's Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program, which provides tribes or tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs) with funds for a full range of affordable housing programs, including housing development; modernization; management services and operating assistance; housing counseling; crime prevention; and safety training and technical assistance. The block grant approach to housing for Native Americans was created in 1996, when the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA) was passed by Congress, giving tribes the authority to determine how funds should be used to address the specific
needs of their communities.

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