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WSHFC | My View | Washington State Native American Housing Authorities

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WSHFC | My View | Washington State Native American Housing Authorities NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING • July 2014 My View A unique, “inside” perspective on housing and community development from the executive director of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission Inside this Issue Snapshot of needs and challenges on tribal lands ........................2 Diana Phair: We develop a community ....3 Federal funding for Native American housing..............................5 John Williamson: It takes these kinds of Despite projects to break that cycle of poverty ....6 Wendy Lawrence: formidable challenges, Don’t be afraid to dream................8 Place of Hidden Waters ...............11 Washington State’s Brook Kristovich: The tax credit program Native American Housing has raised the bar for housing standards on the reservation....................12 Authorities rise to the top The LIHTC program on tribal land: A national perspective ................14 Map of Washington’s 29 tribes .........16 What does creating and preserving affordable housing on Native American lands look like in our state? With which major issues do tribal leaders and housing authorities struggle? How do they go about solving them? What resources are available to them? This issue of My View is dedicated to housing on Native American lands in Washington state because I want to share a fuller picture of how the work of affordable housing is accomplished in Indian country. In addition to four creative and hard-working housing authority directors on Washington state Indian reservations, I spoke with tax-credit consultants David Bland of Travois and James Horvick of Raymond James for a broader national perspective. Also, I’ve highlighted some of the outstanding housing created in Indian country using the Housing Tax Credit. Since 2000, the Commission has approved more than $97 million in credits to build 628 homes on 10 different reservations in the state. Above: Qui Nai Elt Homes I on the Quinault Reservation KIM HERMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Photo Credit: Larry Gill WSHFC NEWSLETTER p.1 NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING • JULY 2014 My View Snapshot: Needs and challenges on tribal lands Regarding the challenges so many Native Americans face in securing decent housing and other essential needs on reservation land, two recent reports (the GAO’s Native American Housing: Additional Actions Needed to Better Support Tribal Efforts and the Housing Assistance Council’s Housing on Native American Lands) give a good overview of the national picture, including these key facts: American Indians and Alaska Natives are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as the rest of the U.S. population—27 percent vs. 14.3 percent (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). More than 25 percent of all households living on tribal lands have incomes that are less than $20,000 a year (as opposed to that are 18.4 percent of all U.S. households). Overcrowding in homes (more than one occupant per room) is common on Native American lands, where 8.8 percent meet this criterion, compared to the national average of 3 percent. Much of what is commonly considered homelessness goes unreported on tribal lands. Many tribal members are doubling and tripling up—living with family members. Tribal housing challenges include: A significant shortage of healthy rental housing on tribal lands—and an ongoing shortfall in federal funding adequate to maintaining this housing stock; The remoteness of many reservations, which translates into higher costs for creating and maintaining housing and infrastructure—and challenges in securing capable contractors; Almost-flat appropriations for NAHASDA [see sidebar], which restricts available funds; Difficulty of combining Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) funding with other funding sources, due to the requirements of many federal programs; Legal restrictions on private mortgages on tribally owned and trust lands; Costly and burdensome federal red tape, including environmental reviews, that are typically required by, and often uncoordinated among, federal agencies. In the face of these challenges, tribal housing authorities in Washington are using creativity and persistence to make the most of the resources they do have— with, as you will see, extraordinary results. Top: The Colville Homes II project created 20 single-family homes on the Colville Reservation. Photo Credit: Crystal Banks-Mann Left: The Makah’s Sail River Heights development will increase housing stock on the reservation by 25 percent. WSHFC NEWSLETTER p.2 NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING • JULY 2014 My View Diana Phair: We develop a community One of the tasks of a housing authority (HA) Diana says that the LIHTC program has is to think strategically, to get the most out worked for the tribe, “but if we were to do it of the resources you have available—and again we wouldn’t go so low as 40% or lower then scour for more. As LHA director, Diana of area median income (AMI) to qualify” Phair and her staff are highly strategic—and those living in the homes. Like most LIHTC relentless. Diana continues to seek ways to programs, ours here in Washington uses a create more housing for her people, while scoring process to award housing tax credits also providing tools that will help those living to applicants based on the public benefits in the housing to be more successful. that will be achieved for the community. The Lummi Nation’s tribal land sits along The points allow applicants to choose which the coast north and west of Bellingham in public benefits they want to provide to the Northwest corner of the state. More residents and to meet community objectives. than 5,000 tribal members live on about The purpose is to provide a fair process for 13,000 acres. Diana manages about 300 units all potential applicants. Many Lummi families of rental housing and runs an internal tribal make their living in the fishing industry company that builds about three to five and these Lummi homes were specifically homes a year for homeownership. Through targeted to low-income fishing families. DIANA PHAIR her HA, she’s created a number of social But fishing is cyclical, with some good years Executive Director of Lummi Nation programs to support residents and help and some bad. Many families, Diana Housing Authority (LHA) since 1992 preserve the integrity of Lummi Tribal explains, would cycle above and below the Housing’s community. Her tribe was the required income level, which made it difficult first to take advantage of the Low-Income to remain within the terms of the program. Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program; they Like all federally recognized tribes, the built 24 homes through the program Lummi are eligible each year for the Indian in 2000. Currently, they are in the process Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program adminis- of transitioning these homes out of this tered by HUD [see sidebar]. Each tribe’s grant 15-year program. is based on a formula that takes into account PHOTOS PAGES 3 & 4: Lummi Nation Housing Authority was able to secure $4.2 million in stimulus funding to build the first 72 units of Kwina Village to house low- income families. Now 52 more apart- ments are under construction. Photo Credits: Brandon Sawaya WSHFC NEWSLETTER p.3 NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING • JULY 2014 My View of communication with tribal leadership. A common frustration for Indian HAs is that tribal council membership changes over time; it can be difficult to maintain great relation- ships and keep council members educated about their tribe’s housing needs. Historically, says Diana, “we’d get new council members, and we’d get run through the wringer. So we redid the ordinance. I said, ‘Why don’t we have a council position? That way they can’t say they don’t know what we’re doing.’” Now LHA has a commissioner, Henry Kagey, who also sits on the Lummi Indian Business Council. “We keep him informed, and when housing comes up at the council, the size of the tribe and many other factors; primarily of one- and two-bedroom apartments; he’s right there at the table. That gives us the Lummi’s allocation is about $3.4 million phase two is 52 more apartments currently some stability.” annually. That may not sound like an under construction. All are targeted to low- Integrated drug testing and treatment into inconsiderable amount of funding, but there income families. the community. Substance abuse bedevils are wide-ranging demands on that money, “We found that many times when we put many Native American communities; about from maintaining and rehabbing existing families in large units, we were setting them 10 years ago, Diana and her staff decided housing stock, to administering the HA and up to fail. So instead, we start these families to draw a line. “We do intensive backgrounds its myriad programs, including providing out young and teach them the tools, the costs and we do drug testing. Anyone 16 and tenant-based rental assistance. Most HAs are of moving to a larger unit. Then they can get older has to undergo a drug test.” Early on, extremely hard-pressed to make their grants on the waiting list to transfer to a bigger unit. if anyone in the family unit failed the drug test, cover anything but the most clamoring needs. That was one of our success stories of those the family would come off the waiting list. 72 apartments.” Orchestrating efforts to support “Now,” she says, “we’re able to keep that Aggressively sought and secured funding the Lummi community family on the waiting list so long as those from myriad sources to build and maintain who fail the test do an assessment and then Here’s a pared-down version of what LHA housing stock—and support residents. show us that they got that and are following has accomplished in recent years: About 10 years ago, Diana hired a profes- their assessment program.” The tribe offers sional planner to help perform environmental on-reservation drug treatment and counsel- Secured competitive federal stimulus reviews and write grants.
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