NHA survey to determine housing needs

 

There is no real indicator of housing needs on the Navajo Reservation. Not yet at least.

The Navajo Housing Authority plans to launch a reservation-wide housing survey in an effort to determine the housing needs throughout Navajoland.

Much like how the U.S. Census conducts its survey every 10 years, the NHA plans to send swarms of people to rural homes to conduct interviews.

"We want to ask about all the needs throughout the reservation," said Aneva J. Yazzie, NHA chief executive officer. "This would help determine what our true needs are."

This initiative could be the first step in securing both more funds from the federal Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act as well as open up more reservation land for home building, Yazzie said.

The information gathered from homes and families throughout the reservation would be compiled in an automated database system.

"This way we could update (the tribe's) housing needs as community profiles change," Yazzie said.

As it stands, the 2000 Census, the most recent of its kind, estimates the immediate need for housing on Indian Country at about 200,000 housing units. This need comes from families living in substandard homes or sharing a residence with another family.

The 2000 Census also reported that about 14.7 percent of homes on Indian lands are overcrowded, compared to 5.7 percent in the general population.

Of the houses that do stand on tribal lands, nearly 12 percent lack complete plumbing facilities, compared to 1.2 percent of the general U.S. population.

A similar report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported that that about 90,000 Native American families are homeless or under-housed.

However, these estimates are likely not an accurate portrayal, Yazzie said.

For instance, about half of the more than 3,500 Census questionnaires sent throughout McKinley, San Juan and Cibola counties alone were reportedly not filled out nor sent back, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of the Census Denver Regional Office.

"There has never been a housing assessment conducted on the Navajo Nation," Yazzie said.

In an effort to get at least some type of accurate information, the NHA plans to launch its own survey Jan. 5.

As part of the initiative, NHA plans to hire 250 temporary data collectors who would gather information in face-to-face interviews with residents throughout the reservation.

"We are taking the community master plan approach," said Derrith Watchman-Moore, NHA chief operations manager. "We want to look at the entire community for infrastructure needs rather than looking at it house-by-house."

The surveys will consist of in-depth information about households like number of people and families, income, condition of the structure and whether the occupants rent or own.

The months-long initiative should provide a close estimate of what locations are in need of housing projects, Yazzie said.

As a result, if the survey reveals that the nation is in dire need of such projects, the program could become eligible for more federal funds.

In addition, if a specific chapter finds out that a significant number of its residents need homes, it may look into clearing more land for use for home construction. Much of the tribal land is locked, but could be re-designated if dictated by need, Yazzie said.

Some may question giving money to the NHA program, which has seen two of its recent housing projects fall into severe legal entanglements.

An $11.6 million housing project in Chilchinbito, Ariz., has been vacant since it was completed in 2003. In Shiprock, a renovation project was halted mid-construction with no explanation causing unpaid construction workers to picket outside the NHA central office in December 2006.

In both cases, Yazzie said NHA has tried to untangle the legal red tape left behind by Lodgebuilder Management Inc., the Mesquite, Nev.-based company in charge of the construction of those projects as well as five others on the Navajo Nation that were never completed or started.

Lodgebuilder has since fallen into its own deep legal troubles and the Fort Defiance Housing Corporation, the nonprofit entity that contracted Lodgebuilder, filed for bankruptcy in early 2007.

NHA is charged with administering the federal NAHASDA funds by giving the money to worthy organizations, which are ultimately in charge of constructing and managing reservation housing projects.

However, both of the aforementioned cases have made substantial construction progress before being shut down. For example, the Chilchinbito project completed 90 units but required well access and sewage services. Therefore, NHA has attempted to wade through the legal mess to regain control of the projects.

Yazzie said NHA is now ready to open the Chilchinbito project at the end of the month. There is no timeline yet for the Shiprock renovation project.

The Lodgebuilder fiasco has resulted in stricter NHA practices, particularly in its oversight capacity over such projects.

In any event, Yazzie said NHA is now ready to see how it can better serve the Navajo Nation, and the survey could be only the beginning.

A similar initiative looking at the housing needs of tribal members living off the reservation but hoping to return could follow. 

The Navajo Nation did see an increase of people returning to the reservation in the past year during the housing crisis which plagued the country, said Jason Attakai, NHA chief information officer.

"We do have families returning home," Yazzie said. "That's something we want to look at in another survey, in the future."

For more information on the NHA housing survey, or to apply to be a temporary information collector, contact: Teri Talker, 928-871-2614, or [email protected], or Earl Tulley, 928-729-6611, or [email protected].

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