Homeownership Offers Freedom and Privacy to Nez Perce Family

Just last year, Delrae Kipp, her husband Keith, and their five children were living with her mother, sister, and her sister’s two children in an overcrowded five-bedroom house on the Nez Perce reservation near Lewiston, Idaho.

Delrae Kipp and the family dog proudly show off their new home.

Since that time, the Kipps completed the Nez Perce tribe’s award-winning Homebuyer Education Program, and applied for a home loan (through a lending company) to be guaranteed under HUD’s Section 184 Indian Loan Guarantee Program. The loan was approved, and the family dream of homeownership was within reach.

Next, the Kipps secured a lot within the tribe’s Sundown Heights subdivision, purchased a manufactured home, placed the home on a permanent foundation, and moved their family into a new six-bedroom home and into the ranks of homeowners.

Mrs. Kipp enthusiastically expresses her delight in the new home and the opportunity to be a homeowner, "The new home offers our family freedom and privacy," she said proudly, "and our home has become a family gathering place for special events."

Nez Perce Tribal Housing Authority staff

HOMEOWNERSHIP MONTH: In mid June, the Nez Perce Tribe held its Sixth Annual Homeownership Fair. This year, along with vendors offering information on a wide range of homeownership subjects, including home repairs, insurance, utilities, and credit counseling, the tribe added an opportunity for fair-goers to tour a recently completed home in their Sundown Heights subdivision.

The Section 184 Indian Loan Guarantee Program was established in 1992 to address the lack of mortgage capital in Indian Country. The 184 Program offers a HUD-approved loan guarantee to private sector lenders who make home loans to eligible borrowers for homes located in Indian Country.

The Nez Perce Tribe utilized a 184 Program guaranteed loan for construction of a new 20-unit subdivision on their reservation. Also, five tribal families who purchased homes under a former HUD program have utilized the 184 Program to finance rehabilibation of their homes.