Federal official announces $7.5 million for tribe’s low-income housing

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge visited Kenai on Wednesday to announce $7.5 million in federal funding to the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity.

The funds will be used for construction of 18 new low-income housing units and are part of a wider $128 million directed at 22 projects nationwide.

In a press conference at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Fudge was joined on stage by Tribal Council Chair for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe Ronette Stanton and housing entity chair Kaarlo Wik.

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“It’s an honor to engage as a representative of the U.S. government, as we seek to uphold the promise that we have made to respect your inherent right to sovereignty and self-determination,” Fudge said. “As a leader in the Biden/Harris administration, it is my responsibility to do all that I can to support your right to not just live, but to thrive.”

Information provided by the housing entity says that the grant money will be used to build 18 new one- and two-bedroom elder housing units near the intersection of Redoubt Avenue and North Forest Drive.

“These monies are going to help the Native community, our elders, our private members, for generations,” Wik said. “It can’t be stated enough how much of an impact this money is going to have on this community.”

This single award of $7.5 million, Fudge said, is more than five times the annual funding the local tribes usually receive from the department as part of the Indian Housing Block Grant formula funding.

The funding announced by Fudge is still part of the Indian Housing Block Grant, but is from the “Competitive funds,” the release says. That money is in addition to formula grants.

The housing entity, according to information provided during the press conference, offers a variety of services and housing assistance to members of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Salamatof Tribe within the local area. Those services include placement, prevention and support for those experiencing homelessness, student housing, sanding and snowplowing, fire safety, and a variety of forms of home repair.

The entity provided services to 52 households in fiscal year 2021, 92 in fiscal year 2022 and 190 to date in fiscal year 2023, provided information said.

“I know you will use this funding to do great things,” Fudge said. “For us to find seven and a half million dollars for low-income housing is significant not just for HUD, but for this nation.”

After the press conference, Fudge toured the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Old Town Campus, Kahtnuht’ana Qayeh, visiting the Dena’ina Wellness Center, the Tyotkas Elder Center, and the housing entity’s offices, where she asked questions about the services provided to tribal members and heard from people who had themselves benefited from those programs.

For more information about the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity, visit kenaitze.org/services/housing.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and Kenaitze Indian Tribe Tribal Council Chair Ronette Stanton participate in a press conference announcing $7.5 million in federal funding designated for the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, right, announces $7.5 million in federal funding designated for the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announces $7.5 million in federal funding designated for the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Housing & Facilities Chair Kaarlo Wik speaks during a press conference at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Tribal Council Chair for Kenaitze Indian Tribe Ronette Stanton and Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Chair Kaarlo Wik accompany U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on a visit to the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, as she asks questions of Health Systems Director Chris Koski on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Tribal Council Chair for Kenaitze Indian Tribe Ronette Stanton and Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Chair Kaarlo Wik accompany U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, center, on a visit to the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, as she asks questions of Health Systems Director Chris Koski on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Members of the Kenaize/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity speak with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge outside of the Dena’ina Wellness Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge tours the Kahtnuht’ana Qayeh in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge chats with Kenaitze Indian Tribe Elders & Transportation Manager Brandi Bell at the Tyotkas Elder Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge tours the Tyotkas Elder Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenaitze Indian Tribe Tribal Council Chair Ronette Stanton accompanies U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on a visit to the Tyotkas Elder Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, center, is joined by Kenaitze Indian Tribe Tribal Council Chair Ronette Stanton and Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Chair Kaarlo Wik on a visit to the Tyotkas Elder Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, right, is joined by Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Housing and Facilities Director Dale Segura on a tour of the Kahtnuht’ana Qayeh in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge listens as people talk about their experience receiving support from the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity in their offices in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity Housing & Facilities Director Dale Segura and Chair Kaarlo Wik speak to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge in the entities offices in the Kahtnuht’ana Qayeh in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Tribal Council Chair Ronette Stanton and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge participate in a press conference announcing $7.5 million in federal funding designated for the Kenaitze/Salamatof Tribally Designated Housing Entity at the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)