Colville Indian Reservation

The Colville Indian Reservation, in northeast Washington, began housing residents in 2011 at its Buttercup Lane development, near Inchelium.  Project funding included Low Income Housing Tax Credits, a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank, Indian Housing Block Grant funds, and stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Each of the 27 new homes is oriented to promote solar heating, uses energy-efficient construction techniques, and includes Energy Star and water-conserving appliances.  The community is walkable, with paved sidewalks and pathways.  The accompanying community building provides space for housing authority staff, as well as other community service providers, including neighborhood police. 

Bishop Paiute Tribe

HUD’s Loan Guarantees for Indian Housing Activities program helped the Bishop Paiute Tribe construct 18 new, single-family homes on tribal trust lands in California.  Tribal construction crews and local subcontractors built the affordable housing.

Puyallup Tribe

The Puyallup Tribe’s reservation in Tacoma, Washington is one of the most urban Indian reservations in the country.  In 2012, the housing authority dedicated 10 units of low-income rental housing, a new community center, and a maintenance building.  The energy-efficient units (an LEED Platinum project) were built using the tribe’s Indian Housing Block Grants and funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Spirit Lake Sioux Nation

The Spirit Lake Nation and its housing corporation in Fort Totten, North Dakota, manage several hundred low-rent and mutual help homes.  In 2012, dozens of these homes were rehabilitated using HUD funds, with improvements to roofs, downspouts, siding, windows, doors, and steps.

Ketchikan Indian Community

Accessible only by boat or plane, the Ketchikan Indian Community in southeast Alaska completed a 12-unit housing project for low-income elders in 2012.  The two-level, condo-style building is the first in the community to be certified LEED Silver.  Funding came from several sources, including HUD and the Department of Energy.

Success Stories - 2011 

Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo

The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, in El Paso, Texas recently constructed 30 duplex units, 34 single family homes, and the related roads, sewer, water, sidewalks, gutters, and street lighting. The $16 million project was funded by HUD’s Indian Housing Block Grants, Recovery Act funds, a HUD guaranteed loan, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, the Federal Highway Administration, tribal contributions, and Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

The Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority in San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico recently rehabilitated 71 homes, including 49, 400-year old traditional adobe homes.  The $5.3 million project was funded by Indian Housing Block Grants, the Indian Health Service, the National Park Service, the State of New Mexico, and several nonprofit foundations.

The Karuk Tribe Housing Authority in Happy Camp, California, recently rehabilitated 163 affordable housing units, by installing low-E dual pane windows, energy efficient heat pumps, metal roofs, and tankless water heaters.  The project costs were about $4.2 million, and were funded by Recovery Act funds. 

The Pyramid Lake Housing Authority, near Reno, Nevada, is constructing 15 affordable homes and the related infrastructure.  All homes are being built to energy efficient standards and will include Energy Star-rated appliances.  The total project cost is $2.8 million and includes Recovery Act funds. 

The San Carlos Apache Housing Authority in Peridot, Arizona, is constructing 43 new, energy efficient, single-family homes.  The $9.2 million project is being funded with Recovery Act funds. 

Ojinjintka Housing Development Corporation, in South Dakota, is a subsidiary of the Rosebud Tribe’s housing authority.  This house-building corporation is using Recovery Act funds to help build 12 homes and employ 18 tribal workers.  The homes will help meet the needs of low-income families on the reservation, where there is a need to build at least 360 housing units for people waiting to get homes. 

The Northwest Inupiat Housing Authority, the regional hub serving the small, Alaska Native Villages of Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kiana, Kobuk, Noatak, Noorvik, and Shungnak, used program funds to rehab and weatherize 43 low-rent units in Kotzebue and 20 in Selawik.  The project also created 24 jobs.

The Cook Inlet Housing Authority in Anchorage, Alaska, developed a 59-unit housing complex for elders.  This complex was constructed with high-efficiency insulation, heating units, and windows.  The Housing Authority is leveraging funds from multiple sources, including HUD.  Cook Inlet Housing Authority employs more than 100 people and operates more than 600 units of rental housing in Anchorage, Kenai, Seldovia and Ninilchik. 

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