Tribal-Specific Resources

Rural Information Center   This Rural Information Center provides information about State, federal and nonprofit programs that assist Native Americans needing housing or loans.

Native American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC)   NAIHC is a national organization representing housing interests of tribes and housing entities across the United States. NAIHC does:

• Advocacy for housing opportunities and increased funding for Native American housing and community development programs,
• Training in many areas of Indian housing management,
• On-site technical assistance to Indian housing professionals,
• Research and information services on Indian housing issues and programs.
• NAIHC can assist with:
  • The fundamentals of Indian housing management and financial accountability.
  • Preparation of operating budgets, review of staffing and personnel policies, and organizational structure.
  • Assessments of financial management and control functions including bookkeeping, computers, and computer software.
  • Indian Housing Plans and Annual Performance Reports.

•   (46pp, 1.7M)

  The purpose of this guidebook is to assist architects and designers who are contracted by Indian Housing Authorities to understand how to incorporate traditional Native American cultural and spiritual elements of life into housing forms, and to understand the importance of including the homeowner in the decision making process.

    (97pp, 3M)

  This guide is a product of the Department of Energy and Department of Housing and Urban Development Initiative on Energy Efficiency in Housing. The guide is in three basic sections:

  • Section 1 contains information about energy-efficient techniques and how they work, and gives some specific design advice.
  • Section 2 introduces the reader to the personal computer program BuilderGuide, which provides a simple, fill-in-the-blanks format you can use to quickly evaluate the performance of your specific design. It includes two worked examples for proposed Indian houses.
  • Section 3 gives designers and Indian Housing Authorities a realistic set of goals for energy-efficient design in different climates.

  (60pp, 1.8M)

  This guidebook provides a reference for Indian Housing Authority directors and tribal members to use when organizing, managing and administering a successful road development program.

  Building and Buying Green in Indian Country: A Practical Guide for California Tribes   This comprehensive guide provides tribal project decision-makers and planners with an overview of “green” building practices to help them evaluate and choose sustainable options as they develop projects with architects, contractors, suppliers, or other building professionals.