HUD AWARDS $600,000 GRANT TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO IOWA NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY
Grants support critical projects in tribal areas to address housing, community development and jobs

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $600,000 to the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Tama, Iowa to improve housing conditions, promote community development and to spur local economies with construction projects and jobs. The competitive grants awarded are part of HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program that address a wide variety of community development and affordable housing activities for low- to moderate-income families.

"This grant is a step forward in forging solutions to improve the housing and economic conditions for some of our country's most culturally rich neighborhoods," said HUD Great Plains Regional Administrator Derrith Watchman-Moore. "I'm impressed at the energy and creativity this tribe leveraged public funds to create lasting solutions for countless families in Iowa."

The funding awarded to Iowa is part of $56 million HUD announced today to tribal communities throughout the nation. The recipients will use these grants to develop viable communities including rehabilitating housing or building new homes or to purchase land to support new housing construction. The funding can also used to build infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer facilities. To stimulate economic development and job growth, recipients use the grants to establish commercial, industrial and agricultural projects. Recipients also use the funding to build community and health centers, or to start businesses to support the community including shopping centers, manufacturing plants, restaurants or convenience stores and gas stations. Specific examples of this sort of economic and community development include:

The Sac and Fox Tribe will use its $600,000 grant to construct the Meskwaki Travel Center. The center will include a convenience store, car and truck fueling stations, a branch bank, sandwich shop, truck stop and a truck wash/mechanics bay. The project will retain 28 current jobs and will create eight new positions.

The ICDBG program was established in 1977 to help Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages to meet their community development needs. Federally recognized tribes, bands, groups, nations or eligible tribal organizations compete for this funding.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter at @HUDnews or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD. or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.