HUD AWARDS MINNESOTA STATE TRIBAL COMMUNITIES $1.2 MILLION TO IMPROVE HOUSING AND SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Funding part of $33 million awarded nationally to Indian Country

CHICAGO - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $1.2 million in grants today to tribal communities in Minnesota to improve or create housing or economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income families (see below for breakdown). The competitive grants awarded today are provided through HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program to support a wide variety of community development and affordable housing activities, and are a portion of the grants that will be awarded nationally this year. Additional grant announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

"This funding helps our country's Native American and Alaska Native communities improve the living conditions for hard-working families who need the most help," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.  "This is an investment to promote neighborhood development, produce affordable housing, and help create much-needed jobs."

"These grants will help spur economic development while improving the living environment for Minnesota Native Americans in two communities", said Antonio R. Riley, HUD's Midwest Regional Administrator.

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, Aleutes and Eskimos) or Alaska Native villages compete for this funding.

The recipients will 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 used to build infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer facilities, to create suitable living environments. To spur economic development, recipients use the grants to establish a wide variety of commercial, industrial and agricultural projects. Recipients have used the funding 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.