- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Real Estate
Cherokee Nation opened a new housing subdivision in Jay, Oklahoma, providing affordable homeownership opportunities for tribal citizens through funding from the nation's Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act.
The ᎦᏃᎯᎵ (Ganohili) subdivision features 20 lots on 8.25 acres, with the first 10 homes now occupied by Cherokee families. The Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation offers the new homes through a lease-to-own model under its New Construction Home Ownership Program.
The Jay development follows the July opening of Sallisaw Redbird Smith Estates, another Cherokee Nation housing project that will house 33 families when complete. Twelve families have already moved into homes in the 16-acre Sallisaw development.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the projects address critical housing shortages affecting Cherokee citizens during Thursday's grand opening ceremony in Jay.
"We've got too many of our fellow Cherokee citizens living on the cusp of having to make difficult financial decisions every month," Hoskin said. "Rent is too high because the housing stock is too low, hope is too low because the prospects of home ownership or decent housing is not where it should be."
The homes were funded through the Cherokee Nation's Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, which commits $40 million in tribal funds to housing and community infrastructure every three years. The landmark legislation, first enacted in 2019 and reauthorized in 2022 and 2024, represents the largest housing investment in Cherokee Nation history.
A Cherokee Nation housing study identified a $1.75 billion regional housing deficit, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
Each new home in Jay contains between 1,645 and 1,744 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. The subdivision includes sidewalks, fiber optic internet, generator connectivity and a storm shelter, with an aviator-themed playground planned for installation.
New resident Heather Smith said the affordable housing option allowed her family to remain within the Cherokee Nation Reservation rather than relocate to Arkansas for work.
"I work in Gentry, Arkansas, about 33 miles away from here, and I was originally looking to move there, but rent for two-bedroom, one-bath homes there are like $1,700 a month," Smith said. "Then, Cherokee Nation calls me and tells me about this opportunity, and now we have a home we can afford."
Ganohili, which means "flyer," honors Cherokee World War II veteran Virgil Fields, a decorated war hero recognized in the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. Fields' family members attended the event to share stories about the veteran. Secretary of Veterans Affairs S. Joe Crittenden presented a plaque to Fields' family, and Virgil Street within the development bears his name.
Blue River Architects and Wallace Engineering designed the subdivision. Maska Builders handled construction with assistance from Cherokee Nation Businesses Construction team and the tribe's Building Trades Program. Happy Playgrounds, a Tribal Employment Rights Office vendor, will install the playground equipment.
