Travois has worked with Elena Bassett, executive director of the Colville Indian Housing Authority (CIHA) in Washington state, for many years, and we congratulate her on her retirement this month!
During Elena’s tenure, she guided the CIHA through the completion of two Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects among many other initiatives. She was the vice chair of the Northwest Indian Housing Association, a voting member for region 6 of the National American Indian Housing Council, and she sat on the housing committee for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.
In 2011, Elena won the prestigious “Friend of Housing” award from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission in recognition of her work to improve affordable housing in the state of Washington and among American Indians. (See photo above.)
We have had the pleasure of working with Elena on her two LIHTC projects and have joined her at countless conferences and seminars she organized to educate her fellow tribal members on the variety of affordable housing options available.
We will miss working with her, but we wish her luck in her future endeavors!