HUD AWARDS $1.1 MILLION TO WYOMING NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY FOR HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
Grants provided by HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant Program

CASPER - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $1.1 million in grants to a tribal community in Wyoming to improve or create housing and economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income families.

Regional Administrator Rick M. Garcia said, "The competitive grants are provided through HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program to support a wide variety of community development and affordable housing activities."

"These funds will help American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments create sustainable and community-driven solutions," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "Housing and infrastructure needs in Indian Country are severe and widespread. I'm inspired by the work the tribal communities are taking on to leverage these funds and get their communities on the right track."

The Northern Arapahoe Tribe will receive $1.1 million dollars in ICDBG funds to remodel and expand the Arapahoe Health Clinic.  The funding will pay for the construction of an additional 7,567 square feet and remodeling of an existing 6,772 square feet. Design of the project is based on IHS facility requirements along with the Care Model approach. The Care Model serves as a framework to guide the creation of an accessible and patient-centered system of care that provides safe, timely, effective, efficient, and equitable health care. This method of care is designed to show improvement in preventative care, management of chronic conditions, and experience of care, while maintaining financial viability. The model will move the Arapahoe Clinic from an assembly line model to a more holistic approach that is patient-centered.

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, Aleuts and Eskimos) or Alaska Native villages compete for this funding. The recipients 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 be used to build infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer facilities, and to create suitable living environments. To spur economic development, recipients have used the grants to establish a wide variety of commercial, industrial and agricultural projects. The grants have been used 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.

FY 2011 Indian Community Development Block Grants for Wyoming