HUD AWARDS $2.4 MILLION TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $2.4 million to three Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian colleges and universities to stimulate neighborhood revitalization, promote affordable housing and promote economic development in their communities. The funding announced today is provided through HUD's Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) Program

"These colleges and universities can be powerful drivers to promote community and economic revitalization," said Donovan. "The funding we announce today will improve communities and expand affordable housing beyond these campuses and into the communities served by these institutions of higher learning."

The following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian colleges and universities were awarded funding:

For an institution to qualify under this program as an Alaska Native Institution, at least 20 percent of the undergraduate student enrollment must be Alaska Native. At least 10 percent of a school's undergraduate population must be Native Hawaiian to qualify as a Native Hawaiian Institution. In addition, all institutions must be a two- or four-year institution and fully accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

HUD's grants are not intended to directly benefit these colleges and universities but will help these institutions undertake a wide variety of activities, particularly those that benefit low-income persons. These activities may include:

• Acquiring property;
• Demolishing blighted structures;
• Rehabilitating homes, including cleaning up lead-based paint hazards and making modifications that improve accessibility;
• Improving public facilities such as water and sewer systems;
• Providing downpayment and closing cost assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers;
• Offering assistance to small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises;
• Assisting community-based development organizations to carry out neighborhood revitalization; and
• Supporting public services such as job training, child care, fair housing, and housing counseling.

The Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for partnering colleges and universities with their communities in an effort to address pressing local problems. For more information about HUD's partnership with institutions of higher education, visit HUD's website.

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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.