Chinle Housing Management Office scheduled to open May 1

By Navajo Times | Apr 29, 2025 | News |

By Rick Abasta
For the Navajo Times

CHINLE

The Chinle Housing Management Office will open its doors on May 1 with a grand opening celebration.

The event is slated to begin at 10 a.m. and coincides with the 62nd anniversary of the Navajo Housing Authority.

Delegate Brenda Jesus, the Resources and Development Committee chair, Delegate Shawna Ann Claw (Chinle), and President Buu Nygren are scheduled to attend and speak at the celebration.

NHA will provide lunch and refreshments during the dedication ceremony, including tours of the new 7,000-square-foot facility.

Ernest Franklin, the chief operating officer for NHA, said the project has been in the works since 2015. He lauded Mary Vandever, the property manager for the Chinle Housing Management Office, and said she has been instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.

“She was the real driving force for this project,” he said. “She was the one who had the dream of replacing the building, which was built back in the 1970s.”

The staff outgrew the building and as more employees joined the team, the building was renovated to accommodate the growth.

“The building was just a conglomerate of renovations that was being occupied by Mary’s staff and the Chinle maintenance team,” Franklin said.

The electrical system and other building infrastructure were not suited to that type of growth, he said, adding that in 2021 Vandever finally secured land for the new building.

The $4.4 million Chinle Housing Management Office was a model project for NHA and was part of the 2025 Indian Housing Plan.

The architecture and engineering firm for the project was Suina Designs and the contractor selected to build the facility was Benally Woodruff Construction.

The building features offices for all staff, a conference room, kitchen, IT room, receiving area, bathrooms, and comfortably sized meeting rooms for one-on-one consultations.

“If it wasn’t for Mary, this project wouldn’t have happened,” Franklin said. “She made sure that it was on the Indian Housing Plan and that it had enough funding.

“This is something that she wanted to complete before she retired. We’re just the supporting cast,” he added.

The public is invited to attend and celebrate the new building and NHA’s 62nd anniversary since its formation on May 1, 1963, as the tribally designated housing entity of the Navajo Nation.