Senator highlighted successes expanding tax credits to build affordable housing options and creating strong careers for Tribal members
WASHINGTON – Following her visit to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to meet with members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema hosted a follow-up meeting with the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority to hear their needs and priorities regarding Indian housing affordability and availability in their community.
“Arizonans in Tribal communities struggle to find, access, and afford quality housing for themselves and their families. We’re boosting affordable housing tax credits and working side by side with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to increase housing options for their community,” said Sinema.
Last week, Sinema visited the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to celebrate the success of her White Mountain Apache Water Rights Quantification Act with members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Now law, the Senator’s legislation ensures the Tribe’s access to clean, reliable drinking water by supporting the completion of the Tribe’s Rural Water System and Miner Flat Dam project.
The White Mountain Apache Tribe has had success building new affordable housing units using the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) alongside the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) – expanding accessible housing options while creating strong careers for Tribal members. Sinema supports the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, a bipartisan solution that doubles the value of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and expand the Tribe’s capacity to build affordable housing that Apache families need. Sinema has also been a steadfast champion of the Indian Housing Block Grant, supporting funding increases and protecting this program from cuts in the federal appropriations process.
During the meeting, Sinema expressed her support for a number of proposals that would help make housing more affordable and accessible on the reservation, including reauthorizing the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 in a bipartisan way, ensuring that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers can work for Arizona veterans in Indian Country, and identifying a solution to address cleanup and remediation of methamphetamine and fentanyl in housing, an expensive and growing problem for the community.
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