09.14.17

Senator Cantwell Applauds Funding for Housing and Economic Opportunity in WA Native Communities

Grants to fund projects improving housing and living environments awarded to Muckleshoot, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Upper Skagit Tribes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, applauded the announcement that three tribal organizations in Washington state have been awarded a combined $1.5 million in Indian Community Development Block Grants (ICDBG) to bolster underserved communities in Indian Country. The grants are administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Muckleshoot Housing Authority, Port Gamble S’Klallam Housing Authority, and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe will each receive a grant of $500,000. The grant will assist with tribal efforts to improve conditions for low- and moderate-income populations, such as acquiring land for new housing construction, building community infrastructure, and developing commercial, industrial, or agricultural projects, among others.

"From affordable housing to infrastructure programs, these grants will help revitalize and bolster native communities in Washington state," Cantwell said. "While we celebrate these grants, we must continue to work together to find every possible opportunity to ensure the economic and cultural success of Indian Country.”

Senator Cantwell has actively supported the ICDBG grant program through the appropriations process. She supports the positive impacts that ICDBG and other HUD grant programs have on many native communities in Washington, particularly when it comes to creating and preserving affordable housing. President Trump’s proposed budget for 2018 would slash these grant programs by $70 million in Washington state alone, a move with clear, devastating consequences for the state’s communities in need.

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