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Telephone: (907) 443-5256 Toll Free: (800) 478-5255 Fax: (907) 443-8652
Programs
Youth Grant
Youth Grant — BSRHA will support crime prevention and drug elimination activities through the Youth Grant program. Member tribes of BSRHA will have the opportunity to create and operate programs that will have a direct impact on reducing crime and drug use among youth in our region. The maximum grant awarded is $10,000 per tribe. The participating youth must be occupants of affordable housing. The grant is awarded on a reimbursement basis with all costs requiring proper documentation. lf there is no documentation of participants being in affordable housing, the grantee will be responsible for a matching contribution.
For the Youth Grant Program, send an email to HR@bsrha.org
Housing Preservation
The application window for the 2023 Housing Preservation Grant is closed. The scoring committee reviewed all the applications received and selected three applicants at the end of March. Please check back early in 2024 for another opportunity to apply.
To apply either deliver the application to our front desk:
1008 Front Street, Nome
Mail the application to:
Walter H Rose - Program Administrator
Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority
PO Box 995
Nome, AK 99762-0995
Or email the application to: wrose@bsrha.org
Call 907-443-8612 to verify your application was received.
Emergency Utilities
The Emergency Utility Assistance program includes Heat, Electricity, Water & Sewer. BSRHA pays directly to the vendor and not to the applicant. BSRHA will offer Emergency Utility Assistance to prevent utility disconnection or shut off. The program is allocated at $5,000 per tribe, further delineated to $500 per household. BSRHA will make payments to 3rd parties only - i.e. city governments, utilities, or fuel vendors. Applicants must provide a notice of disconnection or shut off, or a statement that the heating fuel vendor will not advance credit to the applicant. This program is available to our entire regional Tribal members.
For the Emergency Utility Assistance Program, contact Hannah Katongan at 907-443-8617; hkatongan@bsrha.org or Glenda Sherman at 907-443-8602; tsherman@bsrha.org
Home Ownership
Click on the button above to learn more
Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA)
What Is NAHASDA?
The Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) reorganized the system of housing assistance provided to Native Americans through the Department of Housing and Urban Development by eliminating several separate programs of assistance and replacing them with a block grant program.
The two programs authorized for Indian tribes under NAHASDA are the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) which is a formula-based grant program and Title VI Loan Guarantee which provides financing guarantees to Indian tribes for private market loans to develop affordable housing. Regulations are published at 24 CFR Part 1000.
NAHASDA was amended in 2000 to add Title VIII-Housing Assistance for Native Hawaiians. The amendment to NAHASDA adds similar programs for Native Hawaiians who reside on Hawaiian Home Lands. Regulations for implementing Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG) program are published at 24 CFR Part 1006.
Each year BSRHA received an undetermined amount of funding from HUD based on the area formula. Funding for New Development is strictly dependent on the number of funds we receive, so it is different each and every year.
MUTUAL HELP HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM
FOR INDIAN AREAS
Summary:
The Mutual Help program allows Indian housing authorities (IHAs) to help low-income Indian families purchase a home. A family makes monthly payments based on 30 percent of its adjusted income. Payments are credited to an equity account that is used to purchase the home.
Purpose:
Homeownership often has been very difficult for Indian families to achieve because of very low incomes and because issues related to ownership of Indian land have prevented access to private mortgage financing. The Mutual Help program allows eligible Indian families to gradually become homeowners.
Type of Assistance:
Development funds are provided to IHAs to construct, buy, or rehabilitate Mutual Help homes. The Indian Housing Act of 1988 also established a self-help component that allowed lower-income Indian families to contribute a major portion of the labor necessary to build their homes. This is a cooperative effort supervised by someone with technical expertise in construction to reduce the overall development costs and eventual price to the buyer. Contracts between the IHA and a homebuyer are generally for a period of 15 to 25 years.
Eligible Grantees:
IHA's could apply for this program if their plans were approved by the local governing body and were responsive to local housing needs. Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) of 1996, which became effective October 1, 1997, tribes, IHAs, or their successor tribally designated housing entities may develop and operate programs similar to Mutual Help with NAHASDA funds. Existing contracts remain in force, however, unless they are renegotiated.
Eligible Customers:
Mutual Help benefits low-income Indian families who can pay between 15 and 30 percent of their adjusted income (but not less than the Administration Charge as determined by the IHA) and perform or pay for all required maintenance on the homes. The family is required to contribute at least $1,500 toward the cost of the home. Payments in excess of the Administration Charge are credited to an equity account that is used to purchase the home.
Eligible Activities:
There are no operating subsidies for administrative overhead, but operating subsidies can cover IHA training, counseling, collection losses, repair of vacant units, and unusual circumstances.
Application:
No longer applicable. Formerly, IHAs applied through their Area Office of Native American Programs (ONAP). Approvals were made at the Area level.
Funding Status:
No new funding has been available since NAHASDA took effect. Existing contracts remain in force unless renegotiated. Approximately 40,066 housing units were under management as of September 30, 1995.
Technical Guidance:
The Mutual Help program was authorized by the Housing Act of 1937, as amended, P.L. 75-412, 42 U.S.C. 1401-1435, and the Indian Housing Act of 1988, P.L. 100-358. Regulations are found at 24 CFR 950. The program is administered by ONAP in HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing.
For More Information:
Contact BSRHA in Nome at 907-443-5256. Additional information is available from the National ONAP Office in Denver, Colorado; contact Bruce Knott or Deborah LaLancette at (303) 675-1600. Information is also available from ONAP Area Offices in Albuquerque, Anchorage, Chicago, Denver, Oklahoma, Phoenix, and Seattle.