Important Indian Housing News

 

NEXT GLIHA MEETING

The next GLIHA meeting will be conducted at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan March 10-11, 2026, and is being hosted by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 10th and will be completed by 3:00 p.m. on March 11th. Let us know if you have any issue or program that you would like to have addressed on the agenda. Thanks for your continued support of GLIHA.

Reservations can be made at www.soaringeaglecasino.com. Once on the website, choose the Book Now tab, and change Promo code to Group code and then enter group code GLI030926. You can also call 877-232-4532, press option #1 for reservations, and refer to Great Lakes Indian Housing Association for arrival on Monday, March 9, 2026. The room block with its special group rate is available until Monday, February 16, 2026.

The closest airport to the Soaring Eagle Hotel and Casino is the MBS International Airport (airport code MBS) which is approximately thirty-five miles from the Casino. The Lansing Airport (LAN) is approximately sixty-five miles away while the Detroit Airport (DET) is approximately 150 miles from the Soaring Eagle.

HUD Appropriations Bill Signed into Law

The Fiscal Year 2026 HUD appropriations bill passed Congress and was signed into law by President Trump on February 3, 2026. The funding was part of a $1.2 trillion “minibus” package (H.R. 7148), that provides $91.2 billion in gross appropriations for HUD, a 17.7% increase over FY2025. Indian Housing Block GRant (IHBG) Program was funded at the same level as FY 2025, $1.11 billion. The FY2026 IHBG Competitive Program was funded at $125 million, a $25 million reduction over FY2026 levels.

New Energy-related Funding Opportunity 

Enclosed is information on a new program, the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) funding opportunity that is designed to support small and mid-sized communities in addressing climate risks. Specific details about the program are here: https://climatesmartcommunity.org/funding/.

The following is a summary of the program.

Eligible Requirements (CSCI Grants):

  • Location: Must be based in the U.S.—including all fifty states, D.C., territories, and Tribal Nations.
  • Climate Risk: Community must face significant climate-related hazards (e.g., flooding, extreme heat, storms) with demonstrated environmental and socioeconomic vulnerability.
  • Team Composition: Applications require a collaboration of:
    • A local/regional/Tribal government partner
    • A community-based organization
    • A qualified climate adaptation practitioner listed in the CSCI Registry

Applications are due March 12, 2026, and award amounts are expected to be between $75,000 and $115,000.

Several GLIHA Tribes have experienced climate related challenges in recent years including floods, tornadoes, and wildfires. This program provides a framework to address these issues by identifying and prioritizing climate resiliency goals.

Elevate Energy facilitates GLIHA’s Energy Advisory Committee and is an approved qualified adaptation practitioner listed in the CSCI Registry and can serve as your adaptation partner for this opportunity.

If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, please contact Brittany Turner, Elevate’s Associate Director, Tribal Programs, by January 15, 2026. Brittany would be delighted to coordinate a conversation to discuss eligibility, partnership formation, and next steps. Please don’t hesitate to contact Brittany at 1-313-652-1330 or at Brittany.Turner@elevatenp.org

GLIHA MEETING – October 14-15

A GLIHA meeting was held October 14-15, 2025 at the Ho-Chunk Wisconsin Dells Casino in Baraboo, Wisconsin. A number of important Indian housing issues were addressed at this gathering. PowerPoint links are below.

Federal Micro-Purchase and Simplified Acquisition Thresholds Increased

A Final rule entitled “Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds” was published. Effective October 1, 2025, the FAR inflation adjustment updates key procurement thresholds that directly affect Tribal grantees and recipients of HUD funding through the Office of Native American Programs (ONAP). The Micro-Purchase Threshold increases from $10,000 to $15,000, and the Simplified Acquisition Threshold increases from $250,000 to $350,000. These changes offer greater flexibility for Tribes and TDHEs to streamline purchasing, reduce administrative overhead, and expedite project delivery.

To support implementation, HUD will publish updated guidance for ONAP grantees soon. Tribal programs should prepare to revise procurement policies and ensure staff are trained on the new limits to maintain compliance and maximize efficiency in managing federal funds.

Spotlight on Training and Technical Assistance

The Codetalk T&TA webpage has been updated! Please explore the new site to learn more about the T&TA process, types of TA, some of the covered TA topics, and links to recorded training materials. As a reminder, please reach out to your Area ONAP office to submit a TA request form for processing.

The T&TA team is kicking off the start of the BABA On-Call TA! Submit your request via email ONAPBABAon-callrequest@hud.gov. Please include your Tribe/TDHE name, primary contact information (name, phone number, and email), and project information (type of project, funding sources and amount, and specific questions you would like to address).

FY2020-FY2025

FY 2025 IHBG Formula Final Allocation

FY 2025 Final Cover Letter: The purpose of this Dear Tribal Leader letter is to inform Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHE) of their Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Final Allocation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. In the past, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would mail this information.

HUD Issues Updated Guidance on How to apply for an Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Imminent Threat (IT) grant and Increases Grant Ceilings 

PIH Notice 2025-09 PIH Notice 2025-09 provides Tribes with program requirements and instructions on how to apply for Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Imminent Threat (IT) funding.  This Notice also increases ceilings for ICDBG-IT grants. ICDBG-IT grants must alleviate or remove imminent threats to public health or safety. Imminent threats are issues that if unresolved or not addressed will have an immediate negative impact on public health or safety. Imminent threats must be independently verified, must be of a non-recurring nature, must represent a unique and unusual circumstance, and must impact an entire service area.  

Eligible applicants are Tribes and Tribal organizations as described in the ICDBG regulations at 24 CFR §1003.5. ICDBG-IT grants are provided on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds have been awarded. This Notice increases the grant ceilings based on feedback from Tribal consultations and to adjust for inflation and the cost of construction. The updated ICDBG-IT grant ceilings are $750,000 for disasters that are not Presidentially Declared Disasters (PDDs) and $1,500,000 for PDDs.  

HUD Publishes Notice on How Tribes Can Access Discounted Good and Services  

HUD has published a Notice on Federal supply sources and other General Services Administration (GSA) services available to Tribes and TDHEs carrying out NAHASDA programs. Tribes can use these resources to get pre-negotiated discounted rates for goods and services currently offered through Federal supply sources. HUD encourages Tribes and TDHEs to take advantage of these GSA programs and resources to save on costs when constructing, rehabilitating, maintaining and operating housing funded under NAHASDA.  The Notice can be found here. 

New IHBG Income Limit Program Guidance  

This guidance replaces Program Guidance 2024-01 and provides the latest U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Income Limits applicable to the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. The Program Guidance can be found here.

GLIHA MEETING – March 18-19

A GLIHA meeting was held March 18-19, 2025 at the Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. There was a high level of participation at this meeting and GLIHA membership should be commended for their continued commitment to Indian housing.  A special thank you to Rudy Soto, the new NAHC Executive Director, for joining us at this gathering. Below are PowerPoints from this meeting.

GLIHA Presentation2025 Updated
Reducing Energy Costs in Tribal Housing GLIHA Training 3_18_2025 (3)  
GLIHA_EAP_Workshop_Presentation_v2  
Dynamic Homes – Our Story  
GLIHA Meeting 3.18  
MSHDA Resources_1st Gen DPA_Employer Assisted_GLIHA March 2025
GLHS General Presentation_vF (2)

GLIHA MEETING

A GLIHA meeting was held on November 19-20, 2024 at the Seven Winds Casino Conference Center in Hayward, Wisconsin. PowerPoints from the meetings can be found under the Training Materials tab.

HUD Awards $225 Million To Preserve and Revitalize Housing

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the award of $225 million in competitive grant funding for 17 awardees with proposed projects across 26 states through the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) program. PRICE is an innovative grant program – providing funding to preserve and revitalize manufactured housing and manufactured housing communities (MHCs) across the country, including rural, suburban, urban, tribal, and disaster impacted areas.

“This is an historic investment – as the first federal grant program specifically for residents of manufactured homes,” said HUD Agency Head, The Honorable Adrianne Todman. “Manufactured housing provides an affordable path to homeownership for many families. This funding builds upon HUD’s commitment to advancing housing innovation and reduce housing costs.”

More information on the PRICE competition, including a fact sheet with additional information on the winning proposals can be found here.

HUD Publishes Multi-Agency Tribal Public Interest BABA Waiver

HUD’s proposed Multi-Agency Tribal Public Interest BABA Waiver was posted to the Federal Register. The proposed waiver would apply as follows.

  • 5-Year Exemption for Awards of $2.5 Million or Less. For 5 years from the effective date of the final Waiver, awards and subawards to Tribes, TDHEs, or DHHL of $2.5 million or less would be exempt from BABA requirements so long as (1) the total prime Federal award or subaward does not exceed $2.5 million and (2) the Federal award or subaward amount does not exceed $2.5 million for the life of the award.
  • Manufactured Products. In addition to the 5-year $2.5 million exemption, for Federal financial assistance obligated to Tribes, TDHEs, and DHHL between the effective date of the final Waiver and September 30, 2026, manufactured products would be exempt from BABA requirements, regardless of the Federal financial assistance amount. For Federal financial assistance issued prior to the effective date of the final waiver, the waiver would apply to funds not yet expended.

PIH Notice 2024-28– Total Development Cost (TDC) for Affordable Housing Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA)

This Notice transmits the updated schedule for the maximum amount of funds that may be used for affordable housing under NAHASDA based on Marshall Valuation Service, Marshall & Swift/Boeckh, LLC (M&S/B) and RSMeans Residential Cost Data (RSMeans) for 2024.

Dear Tribal Leader Letter- Simplified Environmental Review Process

ONAP is excited to share new processes that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) developed to simplify and streamline environmental reviews for certain activities funded by the Indian Housing Block Grant, Indian Community Development Block Grant, Title VI Loan Guarantee, Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant, and Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.