Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is awarding the Cook Inlet Housing Authority a $5 million Indian Housing Block Grant. The housing authority is one of five eligible Indian Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities who, with a combined total, recently received more than $20 million from these competitive awards.
In January 2017, HUD released a study on the housing needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and it found that housing conditions for tribal households are substantially worse than other U.S. households. One of the commonly found problems was overcrowding in tribal areas, which is especially severe in Alaska. According to the office of Senator Lisa Murkowski, overcrowding in Alaska is more than twice the rate for tribal areas overall, with 36% of households experiencing overcrowding.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said:
“In nearly every community I visit, I see the significant housing challenges faced by Alaskans. Through these kinds of federal investments and good partners like the Cook Inlet Housing Authority, we are making great strides in creating safe and affordable housing for thousands of individuals and families in the state.”
Carol Gore, President/CEO of the Cook Inlet Housing Authority said:
“CIHA is grateful that we are receiving these funds to house our people safely and at such a critical time for the housing issues facing our city and state. I want to thank Senator Murkowski for making housing a priority, hearing the needs of Alaskans, and her tireless efforts that are yielding results. Housing is the nexus of a healthy and productive life – families cannot work, learn, or be healthy if their home is not healthy. Senator Murkowski has taken that to heart, and we thank her and her staff for their work.”
This grant award will help fund two projects to create 38 new rental units and 51 supportive housing units. Sen. Murkowski says that these grants were made possible by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
