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New Mexico tribal housing authorities awarded $2.2 million for affordable housing projects
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Several local tribal housing authorities are set to advance affordable housing efforts across the state with help from nearly $2.2 million in grant funding.
The grants come from the Native American Housing Opportunities Fund, which the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, or FHLB Dallas, launched in 2024 to support the affordable housing needs of federally-recognized tribes in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and New Mexico.
The fund to 11 tribally-designated housing authorities, nine of which are in New Mexico. The bank awarded each of the nine New Mexico tribal housing authorities grants ranging from $247,000 to $250,000, totaling $2.2 million.
The grants benefit a variety of housing-related needs, including repairs, new construction and housing surveys, said Mark Loya, the community and economic development product manager for FHLB Dallas.
San Felipe Pueblo Housing Authority will use the $247,000 grant it received to provide down payment assistance to 19 families preparing to move into a new subdivision on the San Felipe Pueblo, according to Isaac Perez, the housing authority鈥檚 executive director.
鈥淔amilies are going to benefit by... anywhere from $100 to $125 each month,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big chunk of money for our families.鈥�
Zuni Housing Authority Executive Director Rhoda Edaakie said her organization will use the $250,000 grant it received to conduct an assessment of rental housing units in one of the Zuni Pueblo鈥檚 subdivisions. The assessment will figure out what the units need so that the housing authority can apply for future funding to complete the necessary rehabilitation, Edaakie said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our first time applying, so it鈥檚 very exciting,鈥� Edaakie said.
FHLB Dallas is a member-owned cooperative and distributes the funding through member organizations like Sunward Federal Credit Union and Homewise, which help sponsor and submit applications from the housing authorities.
The Native American Housing Opportunities Fund first launched with $1 million available for distribution last year. The program was met with high demand, prompting FHLB Dallas to grow the fund to $2.7 million this year, Loya said.
鈥淭he growth, which we鈥檙e happy to see, outlines both the need and the funding that may not be available because of other sources drying up,鈥� Loya said.
The Trump administration many federal grant programs over the last several months, in an effort to eliminate what the administration calls wasteful spending.
The clawing back has placed 鈥渦ncertainty鈥� around federal funding for affordable housing efforts on tribal lands, Edaakie said, prompting the housing authorities to get creative.
鈥淎ll these years we鈥檝e been looking at federal funding, and now we have to look at other sources 鈥� either local, state, private and other funding 鈥� to keep our doors open ... and see what other avenues there are,鈥� Edaakie said.
Perez said affordable housing funding for tribal lands has always been slightly lacking, with more than 150 San Felipe Pueblo families currently on the housing authority鈥檚 affordable housing waitlist.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if we鈥檒l ever catch up,鈥� Perez said.
Grants like the one from FHLB Dallas help and will be even more important in the coming years, Perez said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing projections for the next two, three years (that the) Indian Housing Block Grant and Indian Community Development Block Grant are being targeted by the administration to take pretty heavy cuts ... which is going to hurt,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l do the best with what we can get.鈥�
