- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas has awarded $1 million in funding to seven tribally designated housing entities through its Native American Housing Opportunities (NAHO) Fund.
The grants will fund Native housing projects including roof and preventative maintenance repairs, home rehabilitation, and construction projects. In some cases, funding will support indirect costs for housing authorities, such as building a web portal for housing applications or buying accounting software to improve financial management capacity.
“This fund reflects our understanding of the unique housing challenges faced by Native American communities,” Greg Hettrick, senior vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas, said in a statement. “Through the NAHO Fund, we are proud to partner with our members and tribal housing organizations to foster long-term improvements and expansion of tribal housing.”
The seven funded tribal housing authorities are:
- San Ildefonso Housing Authority, which received $118,305 for accounting software and hiring a construction manager for a 27-unit housing project for the San Ildefonso Pueblo
- San Felipe Housing Authority, which received $142,800 for developing an affordable housing web portal for San Felipe Pueblo tribal members
- Alabama-Coushatta Indian Housing Authority, which received $150,000 for installing generator switches, AC units, internet connections, and providing rental and utility assistance
- Pueblo of Jemez Housing Authority, which received $138,895 for hiring a cost analysis consultant for a housing subdivision project
- Santa Clara Pueblo Housing Authority, which received $150,000 for a housing-needs assessment for the Santa Clara Pueblo community
- Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which received $150,000 to rehabilitate 10 homes, assist with delinquent housing programs, and provide homebuyer education classes
- Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, which received $150,000 to perform preventative maintenance and roof repairs on homes for tribal elders
The funding opportunity was announced earlier this year as a push to address a longstanding barrier to credit for housing in Indian Country, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
In early 2023, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka (FHLB Topeka) launched a Native American Housing Initiative (NAHI) with a $1 million commitment to support tribal housing projects. Due to overwhelming demand, the bank quickly expanded its funding to $3 million, awarding grants to eight tribal entities for projects ranging from storm shelters to rental assistance, and increased the initiative to $3.6 million for 2024, with applications open to tribes in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) are regional member-owned corporations that provide liquidity to lending institutions — including Native-owned banks and Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) — to support housing finance and community investment.
FHLBs, which operate under the regulation of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, also provide funding to tribes and tribally designated housing authorities through grant programs like the NAHO funds, as well as “gap” financing through its Affordable Housing Program.
