FIRST TRIBAL ENVISION CENTER IN U.S. OPENS IN POTEAU

Choctaw Nation princesses in front of the Choctaw Nation EnVision Center banner, with the Center in background.

Choctaw Nation EC Center ribbon cutting.

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton speaks during the event.

The Choctaw Nation Choir sang the Choctaw hymn during the opening event.

HUD OKC Field Office Director Sharon Gordon Ribiero speaks, with OKC Southern Plains ONAP Director David Southerland to her left.

POTEAU, Okla. - The Choctaw Nation opened the doors Friday, May 17 to the first EnVision Center run by and for Native Americans. Last summer, the Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was chosen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as one of 17 EnVision Center communities in the country. It was the only tribe selected.

That plan became reality when officials from the Choctaw Nation, HUD, Le Flore County and the City of Poteau came together for a ribbon cutting ceremony held in front of the center at 511 Nanih Waiya Rd., Poteau.

"It is an honor to partner with HUD on the EnVision Center pilot demonstration," said Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. "Their values align with ours and their service delivery encompasses much of our current philosophy. Our goal is to better the lives of our tribal citizens and we believe this partnership will do just that."

Scott A. Grosfield, senior director of support services for the tribe's housing authority, notes that the goal of an EnVision center is to offer families efficient access to support services that can help them achieve self-sufficiency. The housing authority sees this as an opportunity to enhance its service-coordination program that currently reaches across almost 12,000 square miles. In addition to the Poteau center, there will be temporary "pop-up offices" at various locations in the 10½ counties of the Choctaw Nation.

"The Choctaw Nation EnVision Center is an investment in America's most important resource - our people," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "The Center will offer helpful resources to tribal residents and promote self-sufficiency among Choctaw Nation, HUD-assisted households. Everyone can achieve their American dream - we just need to create conditions in which people can actualize their potential, and that's what today's opening is all about."

Four HUD representatives attended the ceremony, including Sharon Gordon-Ribeiro, HUD field office director for Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

"About a century ago," Gordon-Ribeiro said, "some business people asked: why should someone have to stop by the butcher, the baker, the dry goods merchant, the dairy, the produce stand, etc. to put food on their family's dinner table. And so, the supermarket was born. This is the EnVision Center in a nut-shell. Consolidate social services in a single location where those tribal members in need can find everything to help them...And the Choctaw Nation under Chief Batton's leadership has embraced that model."

For information, contact Shelby Holt, EnVision coordinator, at 918-647-3665, sholt@choctawnation.com or EnvisionCenter@choctawnation.com. The Choctaw Nation EnVision Center also has a web site at www.choctawnation.com/EnVisionCenter.

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About The Choctaw Nation
The Choctaw Nation is the third largest Indian Nation in the United States with close to 200,000 tribal members and 10,000 employees. The first tribe over the Trail of Tears, the historic boundaries are in the southeast corner of Oklahoma. The Choctaw Nation's vision, "Living out the Chahta Spirit of faith, family and culture," is evident as it continues to focus on providing opportunities for growth and prosperity. For more information about the Choctaw Nation, its culture, heritage and traditions, please go to www.choctawnation.com.