Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap receive housing grants

The Rocky Boy’s and Fort Belknap Indian reservations have received significant grants to help build housing for their residents, Montana’s U.S. senators announced Wednesday afternoon.

Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, both Democrats, said the Indian Housing Block Grant Program has awarded nearly $21 million in grants to Montana reservations to use in building affordale housing, with $1,421,716 going to the Chippewa Cree Housing Authority for housing at Rocky Boy and $1,116,729 to the Fort Belknap Indian Community.

The money is being awarded as flooding once again hits the area, with local housing on and off the reservations suffering damage.

Baucus and Tester applauded the awards.

“Housing is a basic building block for jobs, economic growth and education,” Baucus said in Wednesday’s release. “These investments will go a long way toward empowering Indian communities, providing affordable housing and giving Montana families more opportunities to succeed.”

Tester, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Banking and Housing Committee, echoed Baucus’ comments.

“Providing more affordable housing in Indian Country will ensure that more Montanans have a safe place to live so they can find work and care for themselves and their families,” he said in the release. “This initiative will strengthen communities and help grow Montana's economy for decades to come.”

The other Montana grants awarded were:

• Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Housing Authority, Crow Agency, $2,542,067

• Blackfeet Housing Authority, Browning, $5,027,633

• Fort Peck Housing Authority, Poplar, $4,788,640

• Northern Cheyenne Tribal Housing Authority, Lame Deer, $1,994,099

• Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority, Pablo, $4,033,261.