Indian Housing in the United States

MEMORANDUM OF THE CHAIRMAN

To Members of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs:

Although Congress has established a National Housing Policy that every American family is entitled to a "decent, safe and sanitary” dwelling, we are still far from achieving this goal for many Americans. This is particularly true of the American Indian.

Despite the existence of several Federal programs designed to provide Indian housing, the condition of much Indian housing today can only be described as deplorable. The reasons for this include such factors as the prevalence of low incomes, the predominance of trust land, unique cultural patterns and the multiplicity of Federal agencies involved in the Indian housing effort.

This report highlights these and other factors contributing to the sad state of Indian housing. It provides for the first time a comprehensive collection of data and materials essential to an understanding of the Indian housing problem.

The report was prepared for the Indian Affairs Subcommittee, chaired by Senator James Abourezk, by Thomas B. Williams and Robert D. Leatherman of the Committee's professional staff. Mr. Leatherman, an attorney with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is serving on the staff as a Congressional Fellow, sponsored by the American Political Science Association.

This report merits study by Members of the Congress and all those who are concerned with the problems of Indian housing. I have therefore asked that it be published as a Committee print with the hope that it will stimulate fresh thinking and new approaches to helping every Indian family achieve decent housing.

HENRY M. JACKSON, Chairman.

(III)

CONTENTS

Memorandum of the Chairman.
Introduction.--
HUD Indian housing programs.-

1. Low rent program..
2. Mutual-help homeownership program.

3. Turnkey III homeownership program..
BIA housing improvement program.-
Rural housing programs of the Farmers Home Administration..
Related services and program administration...

1. Road construction.--
2. Water and sanitation facilities.

3. Program administration.--
Problems with the present program.

1. The tri-agency agreement-
2. The 1974 Housing and Community Development Act.
3. Building on Indian lands.--
4. Relative priority accorded Indian projects.
5. Special legal relationship..

6. Regional characteristics...
Possible options and/or policy alternatives.-

1. Maintain the status quo with administrative changes.-
2. Maintain the status quo with certain legislative and administrative

changes.-
3. Develop a comprehensive Indian housing and community develop-

ment act.

APPENDIXES

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25

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106

I. Significant dates in Indian housing-
II. General Accounting Office reports.

Slow progress in eliminating substandard Indian housing (Re-

port No. B-114868)--
GÃO communication to HUD, dated September 24, 1974, re-

garding a survey of Federal efforts in Alaska in meeting
national housing objectives (Report No. B-118718) -
HUD reply letter regarding GÀO Report No. B-118718.
GAO communication to HŬD, dated October 4, 1974, regarding

a survey of HUD's low-rent public housing program at two
Indian housing authorities and at HUD's Los Angeles Area

Office (Report No. B-114868)
III. "Indian Housing: A Background Paper", George W. Rucker.
IV. "Indian Housing: 1961-1971, A Decade of Continuing Crisis”,

Arnold C. Sternberg and Catherine M. Bishop-
V. "Toward an Indian Housing Delivery System”, Housing Assistance

Council, Inc.---
VI. "Indian Housing A Separate Concern”, Housing Assistance

Council, Inc.-
VII. "Indian Housing Issues and State Roles”, Housing Assistance Coun-

cil, Inc.,

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121

141

167

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197