HUD AWARDS $700,000 FOR FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION IN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN MICHIGAN

MANISTEE, Mich. - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $700,000 today to a Native American tribe in Michigan for the construction of a food distribution center and warehouse. The award is part of HUD’s Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program, a national competitive program that supports a wide range of community development and affordable housing activities, from new housing for individual families to community amenities like recreation centers or water lines.

"HUD is committed to supporting affordable housing and economic opportunities for Native American communities across the country," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "These grants will generate other investments from public and private sources to create economic opportunities, improve housing conditions and create jobs in Indian country."

"The ICDBG grant in Manistee will allow the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians to construct a new building that will improve economic stability to more families. Additionally, this new food distribution center will provide nutritious food to families, especially children, who may otherwise lack health nutrition," said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator, Joseph P. Galvan.

"We, as a tribe, have operated a USDA food commodity and distribution program for over two decades. With the support of this grant, we can now expand our services to a broader area of 14 counties and a larger population," said Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Ogema Larry Romanelli.

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee is receiving an ICDBG of $700,000 to fund the construction of a food distribution center and warehouse. The tribe has operated a USDA food commodity/distribution program for more than 20 years. The program serves tribal members as well as any tribal member from any federally recognized tribe. The program has continued to expand and now serves a 14-county area for qualified participants. The need has outpaced the current building space available to efficiently operate the program.

The ICDBG Program was established in 1977 to help Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages meet their community development needs. Federally recognized Indian tribes, bands, groups or nations (including Alaska Indian, Aleuts, and Eskimos), Alaska Native villages, and eligible tribal organizations compete for this funding each year.

The goal of the program is to develop viable Indian and Alaska Native communities, including neighborhoods with decent housing, suitable living environments, and economic opportunities. Communities can use the grants to rehabilitate or build new housing; to buy land for housing; for infrastructure projects such as roads, water and sewer facilities; and to spur economic development including jobs.

The ICDBG Program supports a broad range of housing and community development activities including:

• Housing rehabilitation and land acquisition to support new housing construction, and under limited circumstances, new housing construction.
• Infrastructure construction, e.g., roads, water and sewer facilities, and single- or multi-purpose community buildings.
• Wide variety of commercial, industrial, agricultural projects, which may be recipient owned and operated or which may be owned and/or operated by a third party.

In Michigan, the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Watersmeet was also awarded an ICDBG of $500,000 for the construction of three new homeownership units on the reservation. The homes will be sold to qualified low-income tribal residents with an equity subsidy and the sale proceeds will be used as a revolving loan fund to construct five additional homeownership units with equity subsidies. See the full list of Fiscal Year 2018 ICDBG grantees here.

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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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