HUD awards
$100,000 housing grant to Micmacs
BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $100,000 in Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) allocations to the Aroostook Band of Micmacs tribe. Annual IHBG funds are distributed based on a formula to eligible Indian tribes or their tribally designated housing entities for a range of affordable housing activities.
They are intended to primarily benefit low-income Indian families living on Indian reservations or in other American Indian communities.
The amount of the grant is based on a formula that considers local needs and housing units under management by the tribe or designated entity.
“This funding is vital because it provides the Aroostook Band of Micmacs the flexibility to design and implement appropriate, place-based housing programs, according to local needs and customs,” said HUD New England Regional Administrator Barbara Fields.
Eligible activities for the funds include housing development, assistance to housing developed under the Indian Housing Program, housing services to eligible families and individuals, crime prevention and safety, and model activities that provide creative approaches to solving affordable housing problems.
The block grant approach to housing was enabled by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA).
