Baucus, Tester Applaud Affordable Housing Grants for Montana Native American Communities

Senators: “Housing is Basic Building Block for Jobs, Economic Growth”

Washington, DC – June 13, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester applauded significant housing grants for seven Native American communities in Montana. Baucus, a longtime supporter of the Indian Housing Block Grant Program, says nearly $21 million in grants will go toward building affordable housing on Montana’s reservations.

“Housing is a basic building block for jobs, economic growth and education. These investments will go a long way toward empowering Indian communities, providing affordable housing and giving Montana families more opportunities to succeed,” said Baucus.

“Providing more affordable housing in Indian Country will ensure that more Montanans have a safe place to live so they can find work and care for themselves and their families,” said Tester, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Banking and Housing Committee. “This initiative will strengthen communities and help grow Montana’s economy for decades to come.”

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program will distribute funds annually to the following Montana tribal entities:

· Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Housing Authority Crow Agency $2,542,067

· Blackfeet Housing Authority Browning $5,027,633

· Chippewa Cree Housing Authority Box Elder $1,421,716

· Fort Belknap Indian Community Harlem $1,116,729

· Fort Peck Housing Authority Poplar $4,788,640

· Northern Cheyenne Tribal Housing Authority Lame Deer $1,994,099

· Salish & Kootenai Housing Authority Pablo $4,033,261

IHBG funds primarily benefit hardworking families, living on reservations or in other Native American communities, who don’t have the financial resources to maintain good homes, schools, or other key contributors to economic security. The amount of each grant is based on a formula that considers local needs and housing units under management by the tribe or designated entity.

Indian communities can use the funding for a variety of housing activities, including building affordable housing; providing assistance to existing housing that was developed under the Indian Housing Program authorized by the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; or other activities that create new approaches to provide more affordable housing for Native Americans. The funding is also used to offer housing services to eligible families and individuals; and establish crime prevention and safety. (Full list of recipients is available online HERE.)