HUD grants over $1M to tribe for COVID-19 relief

From Enterprise Staff

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the awarding of $1,035,000 in Indian Community Block Grant-American Rescue Plan (ICDBG-ARP) grants to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas this week to prevent, prepare for and respond to the ongoing pandemic.

This is the third round of ICDBG-ARP awards, underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to delivering equitable COVID-19 relief to tribal communities.

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe will use the grant funds to provide emergency rental assistance to families impacted by COVID-19.

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These funds to tribes will help protect the health and safety of their communities, particularly low- and moderate-income individuals and families, by expanding access to safe housing, a suitable living environment and economic opportunities.

“It is imperative that we continue providing tribal communities with resources needed to protect the health and safety of their communities,” HUD Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman said. “With the funding HUD is awarding, we remain diligent in continuing our mission to ensure that every person has the security of a healthy home and community. HUD will continue to strengthen partnerships with tribal communities to ensure that all communities receive equitable relief.”

The announcement follows HUD’s awarding of $74 million in ICDBG-ARP grants to 68 tribal communities in November and $52 million in ICDBG-ARP grants to 49 tribal communities in December. The American Rescue Plan included a total of $280 million for the Indian Community Development Block Grant program. HUD will announce additional ICDBG-ARP awards on a rolling basis.

HUD and the Biden-Harris Administration have made delivering equitable COVID-19 relief to tribal communities a priority. The American Rescue Plan Act provides a total of $750 million dollars in HUD resources to tribes to support the continued fight against COVID-19. Earlier this year, HUD made a historic $450 million investment in Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG-ARP) to Indian tribes across the country to respond to COVID-19. The Department also invested $5 million in COVID-19 relief for Native Hawaiians.