Three South Puget Sound Tribes get federal funding for housing

Martín Bilbao
Tony Overman/toverman@theolympian.com

Three Tribes in Thurston and Mason counties have been awarded federal funds for affordable housing activities.

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, located in south Thurston County, will receive $1,739,605; $1,493,837 is being awarded to the Squaxin Island Tribe, whose reservation is north of Olympia, but whose ancestral lands include Budd Inlet; and $1,015,634 is being awarded to the Skokomish Indian Tribe, whose reservation borders Hood Canal just south of Potlatch.

“These critical investments will not only help more Tribal citizens live in their ancestral homelands but also ease housing challenges for those living nearby,” said U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, who represents the Olympic Peninsula and part of Tacoma. “These investments are a win-win for our region.”

The grants are small part of the $1.1 billion that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award to tribes across the country. The funding is awarded through the Indian Housing Block Grant Program to support the construction and rehabilitation of housing as well as housing services, per the release.

The program is the primary way the federal government funds housing for Native Americans and the largest source of Tribal housing assistance, according to HUD. This year, HUD says it awarded 40% more than the year past, making the $1.1 billion sum the largest-ever investment in tribal housing.

“By prioritizing funding and support for housing in Tribal communities, HUD is living up to its mission of ensuring that everyone in this country has access to affordable housing options,” Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman said last week.

However, Kilmer and tribal leaders have noted that the federal government has historically not lived up to its moral and legal obligations to Tribal communities.

“Across our region, we need more housing people can afford – especially in Indian Country,” Kilmer said. “For too long, the federal government has failed to live up to its treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal nations. As a result, many Native communities lack adequate housing. That’s why this funding is a big deal.”

Here’s how much funding is coming to other tribes in Kilmer’s Sixth Congressional District.

  • $6,363,722 for the Puyallup Tribe

  • $3,737,183 for the Quinault Indian Nation

  • $1,803,250 for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe

  • $1,580,259 for the Suquamish Indian Tribe

  • $1,183,114 for the Makah Indian Tribe

  • $1,068,102 for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe

  • $649,322 for the Quileute Tribe

  • $627,646 for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe

  • $246,141 for the Hoh Indian Tribe

Tribes have fought to receive federal funding that’s at least proportional to their share of the overall population for several decades, said Glenn Ellis Jr., treasurer of the Makah Tribal Council.

“When Tribes began engaging with HUD 30 years ago, we were 2% of the population and we fought to receive 2% of the funding,” Ellis said. “Fast forward to 2024, and Native Americans are 4% of the population but receive less than 1% of the housing funding.”

Ellis said the latest award is a “meaningful increase” towards a “budget balance” for his people.

“Our communities have a great need for housing solutions, and we thank all those involved that took on the challenge to get our communities more funding,” Ellis said.

Frances Charles, chairwoman of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, said this funding will serve as a “bandage” for her community.

“Our community has grown so much, we have families living with their parents or grandparents,” Klallam said. “Our older homes need repairs, with roofing, replacing insulation, or rewiring their homes, and handicap for our aging members, just to name a few issues.

“We are in need of more homes, for younger families, that they can call their own. We look forward to utilizing and prioritize the funding we received to evaluate the best means for what our families’ current needs are to date.”

W. Ron Allen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, said this news comes at a time when “affordable housing is such a crisis” in the nation and in his community.

“The cost of developing housing for our Tribal citizens and elders is rising every year,” Allen said. “This news reflects that Congress agrees and is trying to do what it can to address the challenge.”

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