The Southwest Office of Native American Programs (SWONAP) announced the recipients of its Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program this week, and the San Carlos Housing Authority (SCHA) of Peridot, Ariz., was selected to receive the full amount it requested, a grant of $2,148,750, to rehabilitate 47 single-family homes on the San Carlos Reservation. Travois is SCHA’s development and asset management consultant and worked with SCHA on the successful ICDBG applications and seven previous Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) applications.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with the San Carlos Housing Authority and were thrilled to help with its second ICDBG award in two years,” said Bryan Schuler, vice president for housing development. “In its 2015 Indian Housing Plan, the San Carlos Apache Tribe identified the need to rehabilitate more than 2,000 substandard homes, and this award is another step forward to provide safe, affordable and quality housing.”
“The San Carlos Housing Authority is extremely proud to receive this ICDBG grant,” said Ronald Boni, SCHA Executive Director. “The San Carlos Apache Tribe has a great need for new and rehabilitated housing, and we work very hard to leverage all available resources to help fill this need.”
The homes are located in three communities: 26 homes are in Moon Base, three are in White Rock and 18 units are located on Airport Road. The unit mix for the project includes 31 three-bedroom units, 14 four-bedroom units, and two five-bedroom units. The units were originally constructed between 1980 and 1992.
The rehabilitation work will increase the energy efficiency and health and safety of the homes. The green and healthy design will encompass indoor air quality, water efficiency, and energy efficient amenities. SCHA will pursue certification under the Enterprise Green Communities for Criteria for Substantial Rehabilitation program.
The project will greatly benefit the San Carlos Apache tribal members. Forty-seven families will benefit from substantially enhanced living environments and the opportunity to enjoy an overall reduction in energy costs. Nearly 20 construction jobs will be created from the project. Likewise, SCHA will benefit operationally from 47 units that will require limited capital improvements over the next few years. After rehabilitation is complete, maintenance visits will be minimal, allowing SCHA to more efficiently deploy its financial and personnel resources to serve households with more pressing problems.
In addition to this grant, SCHA has had great success capitalizing grants and obtaining other leveraging sources, including money from the Rural Innovation Fund, Capital Magnet Fund and 2013 ICDBG program and private investor equity generated through the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The units in SCHA’s seventh LIHTC project, which is rehabilitating 50 homes, and 2013 ICDBG project, which is rehabilitating another 45 homes, are in the same neighborhoods as this 2014 ICDBG project.
About the ICDBG Program
Administered by the six area Offices of Native American Programs (ONAP) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the ICDBG Program provides eligible grantees with direct grants for use in developing viable Indian and Alaska Native Communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, primarily for low and moderate income people. For HUD’s announcement about ICDBG awards in Arizona, visit http://travois.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ICDBG_AZ_10-6-14.pdf.
About SCHA
As the tribally designated housing entity of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, SCHA is solely responsible for developing and managing affordable housing to ensure that the more than 15,000 tribal members have access to quality housing on the reservation. With a waiting list of more than 1,652 low-income families in a community that desperately needs housing and with very few affordable housing options in the area, tribal members rely on SCHA to provide quality, affordable rental housing. Since its creation in 1961, SCHA has gained extensive experience developing and managing affordable housing for the tribe’s members.
About Travois
Travois is a mission-driven consulting firm focused exclusively on promoting housing and economic development for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. Since 1995, Travois has brought investor equity to more than 170 projects through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and New Markets Tax Credit program, making an impact of more than $1 billion across Indian Country. These private investor funds have helped build or rehabilitate more than 4,300 homes and have helped finance critical economic development projects, including infrastructure, health care, community centers, education facilities and other businesses.