The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (LTNC) has been awarded $4,663,585 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive Grant Program. The IHBG-Competitive program seeks to address housing issues in Indian Country by allowing Tribes to access additional funds to meet housing needs in their communities.
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Housing Department will utilize these competitive grant funds to continue development of the Pine Needles Elder Village Project in Rowland, North Carolina. The funds will be used to construct an additional twenty (20) affordable elder housing units at that site.
The Lumbee Tribe held a ribbon cutting in April to celebrate the first three homes which were built on this site. There will be 23 homes built in the community, which is located less than a mile from Interstate 95 and just outside the Town of Rowland. The rental homes are 1,200 square feet and have two bedrooms and one bath. The Lumbee Tribe opened the administration building in 2023.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the overall awards totaling $150.9 million for new affordable and innovative housing investments in Tribal communities. The LTNC was the only Tribe in the state to receive funding.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to work alongside our Tribal partners to help them meet the housing needs that exist in Indian Country,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman in a press release. “These funds will help build and repair homes desperately needed right now.”
The Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive funds play a crucial role in bolstering vibrant American Indian and Alaska Native communities. These funds are designated for various purposes such as new construction, rehabilitation and infrastructure to support affordable housing within Indian reservations and similar areas. The IHBG Competitive program holds particular significance for Tribal communities as it injects essential financial resources for the construction of new affordable housing for disadvantaged Tribal families.
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