HUD announced that $450 million in Indian Housing Block Grants (IHGB) will be made available to Tribes across the country to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was included in the American Rescue Plan Act signed by the president on March 11 (see Memo, 03/15).
Tribes are not eligible for many of the other housing resources included in the American Rescue Plan Act, so these funds are critical for Tribes to protect the health and safety of their citizens and communities during the pandemic. The IHBG-American Rescue Plan allocates $450 million through a formula based on Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Tribal allocations before repayments and grant adjustments.
Native Americans living in Tribal areas and remote Alaskan villages experience some of the greatest housing needs in the country, with high poverty rates, low incomes, overcrowding, lack of plumbing and heat, and unique development issues. These conditions have put Native communities at extreme risk during the pandemic. The IHBG, the main source of housing assistance for Native communities, primarily benefits low-income American Indian families.
In the press release announcing the availability of the funds, Secretary Marcia Fudge stated:
“With the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, President Biden is making a clear statement that the Federal Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to communities hardest hit by the pandemic. HUD understands the significance of our responsibility to serve American Indian and Alaska Native families, and the Department is dedicated to working in a government-to-government manner with Tribes to quickly bring much-needed relief to Tribal communities.”
Read the HUD press release at: https://bit.ly/2NYdTSw
For the list of allocations to Tribes, visit: https://bit.ly/3w1srli
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge’s video statement on the COVID-19 relief funding is at: https://bit.ly/3rmqmgg