GRAND RONDE & KLAMATH TRIBES EACH WIN $500,000 IN HUD INDIAN COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT FUNDS
Klamath Tribe will construct pre-school & Grand Ronde Tribe will construct food bank

PORTLAND - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today competitively awarded $500,000 each to the Klamath Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde in Oregon under HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program that provides resources to help tribes and native villages meet their affordable housing, community and economic development needs.

The Klamath Tribe will use its $500,000 ICDBG grant to construct a 1,600 square foot preschool education center that is expected to serve some 88 families. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde will use its $500,000 ICDBG grant to construct a 3,000 square foot facility to house a food bank that will serve over 500 families in a location closer to the tribal campus.

"These grants are a step forward in forging solutions to improve the housing and economic conditions for some of our country's most culturally rich neighborhoods," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "I'm impressed at the energy and creativity in how these communities are leveraging public funds to create lasting solutions for countless families."

"The hallmark of our ICDBG program is a flexibility that allows communities to decide how, with Federal funds, they can most quickly and effectively meet their most urgent needs," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride. "These bricks-and-mortar funds help these organizations realize their visions of stronger, more prosperous communities."

The funds awarded to the Klamath and the Grand Ronde tribes is part of $56,224,534 HUD announced today to 76 tribal and native communities throughout the nation. The recipients will use these grants to develop viable communities including rehabilitating housing or building new homes or to purchase land to support new housing construction, to build infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer facilities, to build community and health centers or to start businesses to support the community including shopping centers, manufacturing plants, restaurants or convenient stores and gas stations.

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.

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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.