TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — A Cherokee Nation executive is urging Congress to reauthorize funding for Native American housing.
Gary Cooper, representing the National American Indian Housing Council, said Thursday the funding has given the Cherokees flexibility to restart a dormant housing program that has since built 120 homes for its citizens since 2012. The Tahlequah-based tribe also says 220 homes are under construction.
Congress first passed the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act in 1996, giving control over housing decisions to tribes rather than the federal government.
Cooper, who serves as the chairman of the NAIHC's legislative committee, has worked for Cherokee Nation housing since 1999.
The NAIHC has 274 members representing more than 470 tribes and tribal housing entities.