Heitkamp Helps Secure $800,000 in Federal Funding to Improve Housing Conditions on Spirit Lake
Announcement Follows Conversation Senator had with HUD Secretary this Week about the Need for Federal Funds for Housing Improvements in Indian Country
FARGO, N.D. – September 21, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced $800,000 in federal funding to support housing improvements and mold remediation efforts for the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe.
The announcement follows a conversation Heitkamp had with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro earlier this week where she pressed him about the need to improve housing conditions in Indian Country. She spoke with him about how Native families in North Dakota too often live in overcrowded, dilapidated, and substandard homes that cannot withstand the state’s severe weather conditions.
The federal funds are part of the $6 million for mold remediation in Indian Country nationwide that Heitkamp helped secure and announced with Castro when she brought him to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa reservation in Belcourt last fall. During that visit, Heitkamp showed Castro the dire housing conditions in which so many Native families live.
According a U.S. Census 2007-2011 survey, nine percent of Native households are overcrowded at a rate of almost three times that of the rest of the country.
“The harsh reality is that Native children and families are often forced to live in houses with far too many people in them, little insulation, and mold, which can have long-term health consequences,” said Heitkamp. “Native families need to have access to housing that is built to withstand North Dakota winters and space for children to get a good night’s rest. Last fall, I brought Secretary Castro to Turtle Mountain so he could see for himself the dire living conditions on the reservation. Since then and following my conversation with Secretary Castro earlier this week, we are seeing some efforts to address these challenges in North Dakota. These federal funds are a needed step, but we still have much more to do. I will talk with anyone who will listen about making sure every family across Indian Country have a safe place to call home.”
“Every family in America deserves a safe and healthy place to call home,”said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “These mold remediation grants demonstrate HUD’s commitment to partnering with Native American communities, such as the Spirit Lake Nation, to improve tribal housing and create healthy communities where families can thrive.”
This funding, awarded to the Spirit Lake Housing Corporation, is awarded through the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program, a community building initiative that will assist with mold remediation on tribal lands. The tribe must apply to HUD to be eligible for funding. Click here for more information on funding eligibility.
Heitkamp has long worked to address North Dakota’s housing crisis in Indian Country and provide safe, affordable housing to families. As North Dakota’s Attorney General, Heitkamp served on the board of directors of the state’s Housing Finance Agency and worked to promote better housing solutions on tribal lands. Since joining the Senate, Heitkamp has been steadfast in her work to improve housing conditions for families across Indian Country, by:
- Working to sustain and improve tribal housing: As a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Heitkamp has advocated for increased infrastructure and financial solutions to barriers in Indian housing development. In March, Heitkamp helped the Committee pass bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), which supports efforts to provide safe and affordable housing to American Indians. Heitkamp has been pushing for the reauthorization of NAHASDA since July 2013.
- Engaging the Administration on unsafe conditions in Indian Country:Heitkamp has consistently engaged the President and federal leaders on addressing mold issues across tribal lands. After the President and First Lady visited Standing Rock in June 2014, Heitkamp encouraged President Obama to improve educational conditions for children at Cannon Ball Elementary – a learning facility battling mold, rats and a leaky roof. Shortly after, the school was awarded technological assistance in every classroom, and President Obama cited his visit as the impetus for his Generation Indigenous initiative to help Native students overcome barriers to success.
- Securing investments in housing improvements: Last October, Heitkampbrought HUD Secretary Castro to Belcourt to view the dire housing conditions on the Turtle Mountain reservation. During the visit, Castro and Heitkamp announced the approval of $6 million in mold remediation funding. In February, Heitkamp announced more than $20 million in federal funding to promote safe and affordable housing on tribal lands in North Dakota.
Contact Senator Heitkamp’s press office at press (at) heitkamp.senate (dot) gov
