Native American and Native Hawaiian Housing Programs
(Native American Programs)
Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentTribal nations with 68,000-unit housing shortage; 40% substandard housing rate on reservations
What This Program Does
Native American and Native Hawaiian Housing Programs provide federal funding to tribal nations and Native Hawaiian communities to build, maintain, and manage affordable housing on reservations and in Native communities. The programs help address severe housing shortages and substandard living conditions in some of the most underserved areas of the country. These programs have operated under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act since 1996, building on decades of earlier federal housing assistance to tribal nations.
Who Would Be Affected
The proposed cut would directly affect tribal nations and Native Hawaiian communities that rely on this funding for housing construction, rehabilitation, and related services. Currently, there is an estimated shortage of 68,000 housing units in tribal areas, and approximately 40% of housing on reservations is considered substandard. The reduction would impact some of the nation's most economically disadvantaged communities, where limited local tax bases and remote locations make alternative funding especially difficult to secure.
What This Cut Would Mean
A 50% reduction — approximately $500 million — would significantly slow construction of new homes and repairs to existing substandard housing in tribal communities. The administration states that tribal governments should seek alternative funding sources, though housing experts and tribal advocates have noted that most reservations have very limited access to private capital markets, tax revenue, or state funding that could replace federal support. Independent analysts have raised concerns that cuts of this scale could worsen already severe overcrowding and poor housing conditions, with potential downstream effects on health, safety, and economic development in Native communities.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Tribal housing programs reduced; tribal governments to seek alternative funding.”