TRIBAL ROUNDTABLE HOSTED BY HUD

By Harrison J. Bahe

On August 26th, 2024, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation hosted a roundtable discussion featuring the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of the round table was for tribal leaders to personally meet with HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Richard Monocchio, and local HUD officials, to share successes and challenges in delivering housing programs and services to our Native communities.

Before the roundtable began, however, HUD announced that sizable checks were to be given to five Native communities to assist with their housing needs. One by one, representatives from these communities were called up to the stage and were given checks for use in their housing developments. The Navajo Housing Authority was granted $1.5 million. The Zuni Housing Authority was granted $658K. The Hopi Tribal Housing Authority was granted $1.1 million. The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority was granted $296k. The San Carlos Housing Authority was granted $912k. The Tohono O’Odham Ki:Ki Association was granted $2 million. Each tribe expressed their eternal gratitude for HUD’s generosity. “This money goes back directly to all the Veterans that we serve across Pima County, Pinal County and Maricopa County. So, thank you very much. We appreciate this,” a spokesperson from the Tohono O’Odham Ki:Ki Association shared. The money from these checks will be utilized to build homes for Veterans across their respective communities.

Afterward, a roundtable discussion took place as attendees shared their unique struggles their communities face with housing. Each community faces their own challenges in terms of housing and each issue was addressed by HUD officials both on a federal and local level. The event ended with a tour of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation which included a tour of the Culture Center and a driving tour of the community’s Enterprises and local attractions.