Northwest tribes receive millions in funding for new housing

Tribes in Idaho, Oregon and Washington are building new tribal housing with grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“There was a total of $150 million nationwide, of which we had four awardees in the Northwest totaling about $12 million dollars,” said Tom Carney, the administrator for the HUD Northwest office of Native American programs.  

The Coeur d’Alene Tribal Housing Authority, Colville Indian Housing Authority, Quinault Housing Authority and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon are recipients of this round of funding.

“This is a great first step to be able to help alleviate some of the historical lack of housing and the huge need for housing in the Pacific Northwest in Indian Country,” Carney said. 

Plans for building include houses, apartments and duplexes. 

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe was awarded $3 million for construction of 10 new housing units. Five duplexes will be built on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation in Plummer, Idaho, Carney said. 

The Colville Indian Housing Authority was awarded $6 million for construction of 18 new apartments in Omak, a city on the edge of the Colville Reservation in the foothills of the Okanogan Highlands.  

Dale R. Schrock, executive director of the Colville Indian Housing Authority, said the new housing will be built close to schools, health care, employment opportunities and cultural facilities. 

“With these grant funds, we are committed to providing housing and community upgrades, including the addition of sidewalks and improvements to neighborhood walkability,” Schrock said. 

The Quinault Housing Authority will receive $3 million for construction of eight new housing units.

The Quinault Tribe has been working to relocate houses to higher ground because of climate change and the risk of tsunamis, Carney said.

In this photo taken in May 2014, houses in the village of Taholah, on the Quinault Indian Reservation, are shown at right. (Credit: Doug Esser / AP Photo)

Officials from HUD Northwest will be on-site Wednesday in Taholah to present the grant award to the Quinault Tribe, Carney said. 

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon will receive $2,916,635 to build eight new housing units.

Shonn Leno, Housing Department manager for the Grand Ronde Housing Department, said the low-income units will be part of a larger project for 53 new apartments — mostly with one or two bedrooms. 

“We have a housing crisis,” Leno said.”With the assistance of HUD and the tribe, this will be a chance to address our current waiting list.”

The Grande Ronde tribal housing waiting list for one bedroom apartments has more than 40 people waiting three years or longer for housing, he said.

This grant program shows that HUD is willing to work with tribes to accomplish goals for more affordable housing, Leno said. 

“Even though you may not get the grant the first time, I encourage tribes to keep trying,” said Leno, who said the Grand Ronde Tribe finally got the funding on their fifth try.

Tribes interested in building more affordable housing are encouraged to apply for part of the next $150 million grant, Carney said. Applications are due by Aug. 29.