By Troy Littledeer
Hollywood, Florida. – This year marks the 50th Anniversary for the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC). The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Housing Department was one of the sponsors of this year’s annual conference and tradeshow.
“As director of the UKBHD and a sponsor of the event, I’m grateful to our NAIHC members, funders and supporters who have rallied around the NAIHC mission statement,” UKB Housing Director Roxana Wilden said. “I believe the work that everyone at NAIHC does is crucial to Keetoowah members. I also believe the work that UKBHD did in representing our tribe provided an overview and an update of our activities here in the UKB to all of those that attended the conference. It also demonstrated our plans for our future and used this opportunity to reiterates my comments to HUD officials made at an earlier meeting, that there are two Cherokee tribes located in northeastern Oklahoma.”
NAIHC’s work in Indian country is centered primarily around advocating for housing opportunities and increased funding levels, training programs on a wide variety of topics provided to Native housing professionals, on-site technical assistance, and providing annual conference events for our industry.
The NAIHC was founded in 1974 and has provided invaluable Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) to all tribes and tribal housing entities; provided information to Congress regarding the issues and challenges that tribes face in their housing, infrastructure, and community development efforts; and worked with key federal agencies to ensure their effectiveness in native communities. Overall, NAIHC’s primary mission is to support tribal housing entities in their efforts to provide safe, decent, affordable, and culturally appropriate housing for Native people.
The membership of NAIHC is comprised of 255 members representing 478 tribes and tribal housing organizations. NAIHC’s membership includes tribes and groups throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. There are 567 federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages in the United States, all of which are eligible for membership in NAIHC. Other NAIHC members include state-recognized tribes eligible for housing assistance under the 1937 Housing Act and that were subsequently grandfathered in under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the state agency that administers the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program.
“I’d like to thank UKB Treasurer Sonja Gourd and Councilmember Pete Kingfisher for their support and attending the conference with the UKB Housing Department staff and board members,” Wilden added. “It’s support like theirs that allows us to continue to serve the Keetoowah people in the best way possible. I’m proud of the efforts that we’ve already committed to our members and promise to continue doing this and more in the future.”
You can follow United Keetoowah Band Housing Department on Facebook for more information.
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