The Warm Springs Housing Authority is set to receive $5 million in federal funding to build seven new single-family homes for tribal members on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation — one of the largest housing investments in recent memory for a community still recovering from a punishing fire season.
The grant was announced last week by Oregon’s U.S. senators as part of a nearly $10 million award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant Competitive Program. The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians will receive the remaining $5 million for a parallel seven-home project in southern Oregon.
Addressing a Long-Standing Need
Housing on the Warm Springs Reservation has long been a critical challenge. The reservation spans more than 640,000 acres in Jefferson and Wasco counties and is home to the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute peoples. A chronic shortage of safe, stable, and affordable homes has affected generations of tribal families.
That need became even more urgent this summer, when wildfires burned more than 60,000 acres on the reservation and destroyed at least six homes, displacing families and adding to an already strained housing situation.
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Secretary-Treasurer and CEO Edward R. Henderson credited Housing Director Denielle Woods for her work in securing the competitive grant.
“We are grateful for HUD’s significant investment in our Nation that will help us provide new affordable housing for Warm Springs families who need safe, stable homes.” — Edward R. Henderson, Secretary-Treasurer and CEO, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
About the Grant Program
The Indian Housing Block Grant Competitive Program provides federal funding to federally recognized tribes for affordable housing projects, with priority given to new construction and rehabilitation of existing units. The competitive nature of the grant required the Warm Springs Housing Authority to demonstrate housing need, organizational capacity, and a credible construction plan.
The seven new single-family homes funded by this grant will be targeted toward tribal members who currently lack access to safe and stable housing. Construction timelines and site locations have not yet been announced publicly.
For more information, contact the Warm Springs Housing Authority at (541) 553-3250.