The U.S. Senate passed on July 27 the “Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 2023” (NAHASDA) through an amendment (S.Amdt.1078) attached to the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024” (NDAA) (S.2226). NAHASDA, which has not been reauthorized since 2013, is the primary federal statute designed to address Native American housing issues in tribal communities. Amendment #1078 was introduced by Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Vice Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and passed following a vote of 86-11, demonstrating the bill’s strong bipartisan support. Tribal housing advocates have consistently pushed for NAHASDA reauthorization and expansion. They will now urge members in the U.S. House of Representatives to retain NAHASDA in the final NDAA.
Housing needs among Native Americans living on tribal lands are among the worst in the country. Members of this population face high poverty rates and tend to have low incomes, and they often experience overcrowding or live in homes that lack plumbing and heat. NAHASDA was originally passed in 1996 to streamline tribes’ access to housing program dollars and enable greater control through the Indian Housing Block Grant program. If enacted, the NAHASDA reauthorization bill would reauthorize the program for seven years and include reforms to expand local control of the programming, streamline environmental reviews for tribal housing projects, and incentivize private partnerships.
Tribal housing advocates have long celebrated the success of NAHASDA and championed its reauthorization. The United Native American Housing Association (UNAHA), NLIHC’s first tribal partner, helped enact NAHASDA in 1996 and has since worked to educate its network of members in the Northern Plains about best practices for implementation, as well as mobilize them to advocate for the bill’s continuation and expansion. Recently, representatives from UNAHA stressed the importance of reauthorizing NAHASDA during a Senate committee hearing on Native American housing (see Memo, June 20). Because amendment #1078 was quickly introduced and voted upon in the Senate, NLIHC worked closely with UNAHA to communicate our support, while also mobilizing advocates to contact their Senators and push for bipartisan support of the bill. Now, advocates must turn their attention to members of the House, whom they will urge to retain NAHASDA reauthorization in the final NDAA.
“UNAHA is very encouraged with the strong bi-partisan vote of support for NAHASDA reauthorization,” said Sharon Vogel, UNAHA president and NLIHC board member. “We feel this is as close as we’ve gotten to reauthorization in the last decade. NAHASDA is the primary source of funding for Indian housing, and reauthorization is of critical importance in maintaining our programs. NLIHC’s advocacy and support have had significant impact in getting the bill this far.”
“The Association of Alaska Housing Authorities [AAHA] is excited that NAHASDA Reauthorization was included into the Senate NDAA and urges the House to concur with the Senate amendment,” said Colleen Dushkin, executive director of AAHA, an NLIHC member. “Access to safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for our families continues to be a top priority across Alaska, and reauthorization of NAHASDA is a step in the right direction. We look forward to working with Congress to increase funding for NAHASDA, the primary funding source for providing housing development and services for Alaska Native, Native American, and Native Hawaiian families across the nation.”
While reauthorization is essential for ensuring the stability of NAHASDA, it does not appropriate any funding. Like the rest of federal funding for housing, investments in affordable housing on tribal lands have been far too small for decades. Yet while some federal housing programs receive modest increases each year to keep up with inflation, funding for NAHASDA has remained stagnant for over a decade, furthering systemic inequities and preventing tribal housing programs from meeting the urgent housing needs of native communities. NLIHC and our partners will continue to push Congress to fully fund tribal housing programs.
For more information about the history of NAHASDA and how to advocate for its reauthorization with legislators, please read our 2023 Advocates’ Guide article on Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing Programs.