Heitkamp Pushes for Bipartisan Solutions that Promote Safe and Affordable Housing in Indian Country
Last Fall, Heitkamp Brought the Top Federal Housing Official to Turtle Mountain Reservation, to See Firsthand the Dire Need for Federal Partnerships to Improve Housing Conditions Across Indian Country
**Click Here for Video and Audio of Heitkamp Speaking to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs**
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 19, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today pushed for the reauthorization of bipartisan legislation that supports efforts to provide safe and affordable housing to American Indians.
Heitkamp voiced support for the need to reauthorize of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), and she also raised potential concerns about changes within the legislation being considered by the Committee. Unlike Heitkamp’s 2013 measure, the new version of the bill to reauthorize NAHASDA excludes an important provision for providing training and technical assistance, so it is critical to hear from tribes on how this provision will affect their housing development capabilities under NAHASDA. Congress first passed NAHASDA in 1996 to provide viable solutions for safe and financially sustainable housing that meets the needs of tribal members for years to come. Unfortunately, the legislation is currently expired – if it is not reauthorized, needed improvements tribes have called for will continue to go unaddressed. These include vital resources for low-income households on tribal lands, access to needed housing programs, as well as other housing development opportunities.
In 2013, Heitkamp and a bipartisan coalition of Senators worked to reauthorize the legislation, which expired at the end of September that year. Although currently expired, NAHASDA funding continues to support tribal self-determination and the ability for tribes to address a critical housing need in Indian Country, where in 2012, more than 28 percent of reservation households lack adequate plumbing and kitchen facilities, while nationally only 5.4 percent of households lack such infrastructure. In 2012, the U.S. Department on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reinforced that American Indian lands have ‘severe housing needs’ in an agency report.
“‘Severe.’ ‘Dire.’ These are the words that the U.S. Department on Housing and Urban Development has used to describe housing conditions on Indian Country. I have another: ‘Unacceptable,’” said Heitkamp. “When I walked with Secretary Castro through the broken down and dilapidated housing on Turtle Mountain, I know he saw and understood that critical assistance for safe, sustainable housing on our tribal lands is desperately needed. It’s time we as lawmakers stop turning our backs on and act – legislate – on critical support for our Native families. No child should have to grow up in an overcrowded, non-permanent home that can result in illness, and today’s legislation is a needed step toward providing crucial support. I’ll keep working to strengthen this legislation that offers a sound foundation for viable housing on tribal lands – because not acting is not an option.”
Heitkamp has long been working with tribes to address North Dakota’s housing crisis in Indian Country and make affordable housing available to families. As North Dakota’s Attorney General, she served on the board of directors of the state’s Housing Finance Agency and worked to promote better housing solutions on tribal lands. On the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Heitkamp has advocated for increased infrastructure and financial solutions to barriers in Indian housing development.
Last fall, Heitkamp brought HUD Julian Castro to Turtle Mountain in Belcourt, where they met with tribal leaders and saw firsthand the rampant issues with overcrowded, dilapidated and non-permanent homes that are unable to withstand North Dakota’s severe weather conditions. At the meeting, Castro and Heitkamp announced that HUD has approved $6 million in funding for the Indian Community Development Block Grant program, a community building initiative that assists with mold remediation on tribal lands. Tribes must apply to HUD to be eligible for funding. Heitkamp has long sought increased attention to the severity of black mold issues on tribal lands, and stressed the hazardous health issues it causes.
Last September, Heitkamp unveiled her Strong & Safe Communities Initiative, which is focused on tackling new challenges to North Dakota communities in the wake of the oil and gas boom. Specifically, Heitkamp is leading a Strong & Safe Communities Task Force comprised of leaders and experts from across the state in key issue areas, which include challenges to Indian Country like housing, as well as broader infrastructure stress, increases in drug-related crime, human trafficking and domestic violence, among other issues. The group will work together to offer recommendations for a five-year plan to help make sure North Dakota’s communities remain strong and safe for decades to come by addressing these issues head on.
Contact Senator Heitkamp’s press office at press (at) heitkamp.senate (dot) gov
