The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced more than $660 million in Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG) to be allocated and distributed among 587 grantees. The Navajo Housing Authority the Navajo Nation’s Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE) will receive $86,438,873 for fiscal 2016 to benefit low-income families living on the Navajo reservation.
“We are pleased to hear HUD’s announcement of the IHBG allocations,” said Aneva Yazzie NHA CEO. “This is important to us because based on the allocation figure we now know that NO funding was withheld from the Navajo Nation’s fiscal 2016 allocation of IHBG funds. We will be receiving the full allocation that is due to the Navajo Nation.”
“Unfortunately, before the end of 2015, Congress passed the full-year 2016 Omnibus Funding Bill that contained what we termed the 3X language, which was targeted at addressing unspent IHBG Funds,” said Yazzie. “The language aimed to withhold funds from a tribe’s future IHBG allocation amount if that tribe’s current balance is not below three-times its allocation, which would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016.”
According to the 3X language NHA’s fiscal 2016 IHBG allocation of $86,438,873 x 3 would equal $259,316,619 representing the threshold to which any funds above that amount would be withheld from NHA’s fiscal 2016 allocation.
In HUD’s Progress Report issued on Feb. 16, NHA’s Line of Credit Control System (LOCCS) balance on Dec. 31, 2015 was $257,331,690.67 which was the same balance on January 1, 2016. Therefore, NHA LOCCS balance on Jan. 1 was $1,984,929 ($259,316,619 – $257,331,690 = $1,984,929) below the amount that would have triggered the withholding language.
“In short, the 3X language will have no effect to Navajo and none of the Navajo Nation’s fiscal 2016 allocation of $86,438,873 should be withheld this year,” said Yazzie.
“We are extremely grateful for all the hard work of our employees because they ensured that NHA had properly spent funds before the end of the year so that the harmful withholding would have no impact to our future allocation,” said Yazzie. “We are equally grateful for the partnerships and the Navajo tribal leadership that has helped guide us through this past fiscal year.”