HUD AWARDS $64.2 MILLION TO 32 ALASKA TRIBES & NATIVE VILLAGES TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
More than $400 million in grants still to be allocated among Native American communities this year

ANCHORAGE - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded a total of $64,199,303 to 32 tribal housing organizations and native villages in Alaska (see list below) to help address their affordable housing needs.

Today's awards were part of nearly $210 million in Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) formula allocations to 146 tribes in 25 states across the country. These funds are distributed each year based on a formula to eligible Indian tribes or their tribally designated housing entities for a range of affordable housing activities.

"HUD recognizes the right of Indian self-determination and tribal self-governance by allowing the recipients the flexibility to design and implement appropriate, place-based housing programs, according to local needs and
customs," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "In addition, these grants will help support jobs in areas where they are needed the most."

"Just as there is a pressing need for more affordable housing in America's cities and towns, there is a need on tribal lands and in native villages," said HUD's Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride. "These critical IHBG formula allocations will provide tribal organizations with some of the funds they need for developing creative and effective ways to address those considerable needs."

IHBG funds are intended to primarily benefit low-income families living on Indian reservations or in other American Indian 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.

Today's IHBG grants went to the following Alaska tribal organizations and native villages:

Eligible activities for the funds include housing development, assistance to housing developed under the Indian Housing Program, housing services to eligible families and individuals, crime prevention and safety, and 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. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter at @HUDnews or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.