HUD TO CONVENE NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON - The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will sponsor its first comprehensive homeownership planning conference for urban Indian areas March 27-28 in Seattle, WA.

The conference, Expanding the Circle: Building the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency, will be a unique collaboration of urban, tribal, public/private agencies and Indian organizations charged with addressing urban Native American housing, economic and community development issues. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and share ideas regarding urban planning and how it impacts urban Indian communities.

Conference presenters will include staff from key federal agencies, attorneys, urban community members, private lenders and representatives of nonprofit or public agencies interested in working with urban communities.

Topics to be covered include fair housing laws, comprehensive planning, multifamily housing, housing for Native American veterans, community development and economic development. The conference will also feature training sessions and small group discussions to facilitate networking and to help participants develop comprehensive planning skills.

Indian populations in urban areas increased substantially after World War II and throughout the 1950s as a result of relocation and termination policies. In an effort to "mainstream" reservation Indians, policies were enacted that gave tribal members up to $1,800 for relocating from rural areas and reservations to urban areas. As a result, urban Indians now comprise approximately half of the total Indian population and there are Indian communities in most major urban areas.

For more information or to register on-line, see Code Talk, the Interagency Native American website at www.codetalk.fed.us or call the conference information line at (800) 525-2859.

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