HUD AWARDS $896,000 FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL OKLAHOMA
Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, Iowa Tribe in Perkins and Citizen Potawatomi Tribe in Shawnee Receive Grants

OKLAHOMA CITY - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded a total of
$896,496 to three grantees in Oklahoma to stimulate economic development, create jobs and produce more
affordable housing. The funding is provided through HUD's Rural Housing and Economic Development Program. The grants announced today are part of $25 million HUD is awarding to 85 rural housing programs throughout the
country. The grantees and amounts follow.

"These grants will create jobs and produce critically needed affordable housing throughout rural areas of our country that are desperate for both," said Donovan. "We are committed to an economic recovery that is sustainable and reaches every corner of our country, including rural communities that are so important to our nation's economic health."

Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Okmulgee will use its $300,000 RHED grant to assist applicants in purchasing materials for the construction of structural insulated panels that will be used in the construction of approximately 22 homes for low income Native American families. The project activities will continue beyond the completion of the RHED project with a long-term goal of constructing 60 homes per year and eventually evolving into a full fledged economic venue. The partner working with this project is Clarke Panels, Inc. The proposed leveraging for this project is $150,000. Contact Person: Ron Qualls, (918) 752-3201.

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma in Perkins will use its $296,496 RHED grant to develop architectural and engineering plans and related activities for a seven-acre site on the north side of Perkins that will have a hotel, restaurant, fast food franchise, and retail facilities. The hotel will be energy efficient, handicapped accessible, and provide meeting rooms as well as an indoor pool for community use. This development will provide 60-70 new jobs for low-income Native Americans. The proposed leveraging for this project is $300,000. Contact Person: Deni Clark, (405) 547-2402.

Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Organization in Shawnee will use its $300,000 RHED grant to provide approximately nine rural Native American-owned businesses with start-up or expansion loans which will
create a minimum of 18 jobs and sustain a minimum of nine jobs. The grant will also allow the CPCDC to enroll 35
rural, low-to-moderate income Native Americans as Individual Development Account savers so they can work
towards credit repair and entrepreneurship goals. Also, staff anticipates at least 50 rural Native Americans will complete financial education, credit repair and business development training. Partners working with this project
will be First Nations Oweesta Corporation, First Nations Development Institute Corporation for Enterprise
Development and Opportunity Finance Network. The proposed leveraging for this project is $186,000. Contact
Person: Kristi Coker, (405) 878-4697.

Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) grants support land acquisition, new home construction, housing demolition, infrastructure improvements and construction training. Other possible uses include homeownership and financial counseling; financial assistance to homeowners, businesses and developers; creating microenterprises and small business incubators; and establishing lines of credit or revolving loan pools to benefit the local business community.

Qualified applicants are local rural nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, federally recognized Indian tribes, State housing finance agencies and/or local economic development agencies. Since 1998, RHED grants have provided nearly $250 million, creating/training more than 41,000 jobs, assisting nearly 6,300 businesses and producing nearly 16,000 affordable homes.

Rural communities will use this funding as seed money to pay the start-up costs for housing or economic
development projects. These grants will also help organizations to hire and train their staffs, develop strategic plans and acquire office space and other needed facilities.

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