HUD AWARDS $3.8 MILLION TO ALASKA, OREGON & WASHINGTON TRIBES TO ADDRESS HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

SEATTLE - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a total of $3,789,917 to 9 tribal communities in Alaska, Oregon and Washington state to improve or create housing and economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The competitive grants were awarded under HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program.

"These funds will help American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments create sustainable and community-driven solutions," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "Housing and infrastructure needs in Indian Country are severe and widespread. I'm inspired by the work the tribal communities are taking on to leverage these funds and get their communities on the right track."

"The ICDBG program offers tribes both the funds and the flexibility to solve problems or seize opportunities," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride. "And the innovations that they bring to the table are replicable and often adaptable to other communities."

The ICDBG grants awarded today went to:

The ICDBG program was established in 1977 to help Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages to meet their community development needs. Federally recognized Indian tribes, bands, groups or nations (including Alaska Indian, Aleuts and Eskimos,) or Alaska Native villages compete for this funding. The recipients use the funding to develop viable communities, including rehabilitating housing or building new housing or to buy land to support new housing construction.

The funding can also be used to build infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer facilities, and to create suitable living environments. To spur economic development, recipients have used the grants to establish a wide variety of commercial, industrial and agricultural projects. The grants have been used to build community and health centers, or to start businesses to support the community, such as shopping centers, manufacturing plants, restaurants or convenient stores/gas stations.

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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.