HUD ANNOUNCES $210 MILLION IN INITIAL INDIAN HOUSING BLOCK GRANTS
More than $400 million in grants still to be allocated among Native American communities this year

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced nearly $210 million in Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) allocations to 146 tribes in 25 states. 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.

North Dakota allocations:

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.

"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."

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).

There are more than $400 million in IHBG funds still left to be designated nationwide to tribes in FY2011.

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