It is hard to pick the highlight of my trip to the Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota. Perhaps it was the experience of meeting with a housing authority team that has developed hundreds of new housing units over the past decade that serve low income families. Perhaps it was the experience of learning about the planned growth of the tribe’s business and community facilities. Perhaps it was the Wild Rice soup served at the restaurant in the Seven Clans Casino and Resort.
Whatever the reason, the beautiful weather and interesting topics we discussed at our meetings left me with a feeling of optimism. Since we have received our $70 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation, we have been traveling around Indian Country looking for projects. We have to strike a balance. We have to seek out the communities that are highly distressed and in need of new investment.
Within these communities, however, we need to find organizations that are already in the process of sparking positive change. The Red Lake Reservation Housing Authority (led by one of our former CDE advisory board members Jane Barrett) has used tax credits to do amazing things over the years. My visit to Red Lake allowed me to see the positive changes that have already taken place due to our strategic partnership and learn of possibilities for the future.
Our staff will be traveling to reservations, Hawaiian homesteads and Alaska Native villages throughout 2012 looking for organizations that are planning new developments. If you are working on a project in your community that could use NMTCs, please let us know, and we will find a way to meet in person.