Nygren’s housing promise falters
as Chinle families wait in limbo

CHINLE

The roof leaks when it rains. The electrical outlets don’t work. In winter, the cold seeps through the thin walls of the 1970s trailer where Teaira Francis and her family have lived for years.

For Francis, whose daughter suffers from a rare brain condition and whose son survives with painful burn scars, the promised new home through the Chinle Housing Infrastructure Development program was supposed to change everything.

Yet more than a year after qualifying, her family remains in the crumbling trailer – just one of 17 Chinle-area families caught in bureaucratic limbo despite President Buu Nygren’s campaign vow to expedite housing solutions for the Navajo Nation’s most vulnerable residents.

During his 2022 campaign, Nygren positioned himself as the housing candidate, pledging to cut red tape and deliver homes with unprecedented speed.

But the reality in Chinle tells a different story. Since January 2025, Francis and other CHID recipients have sent more than 40 emails to the president’s office requesting updates on their approved homes. According to former Chinle Chapter President Rosanna Jumbo-Fitch, who has advocated for the families, not one has received a response.

“The silence speaks volumes,” Jumbo-Fitch said. “These families jumped through every hoop, met every requirement, and now they’re being treated like their needs don’t matter.”

The CHID program, funded by federal ARPA money, was specifically designed to help families impacted by COVID-19, including those displaced by fires, living in unsafe conditions, or caring for disabled family members. Francis’s family qualified on multiple counts.

Her 14-year-old daughter lives with Moyamoya disease, a rare condition that required emergency brain surgery after she suffered a stroke at 6. The family’s current trailer offers no protection against the temperature fluctuations that trigger her debilitating headaches. Her 6-year-old son, who survived third-degree burns covering 19% of his body, needs a sterile environment to prevent infections in his healing skin grafts.

“This home isn’t just shelter for us,” Francis wrote in an April 9 letter to Navajo leadership obtained by the Navajo Times. “It’s where my daughter might finally stop having winter health crises. It’s where my son can heal without fear of infection. It’s where we could host our first real family gathering after 16 years of marriage.”

Nygren did not respond to requests for comment from the Navajo Times. While the administration’s March 2024 housing report acknowledged “delays in ARPA projects due to staffing and compliance issues,” it provided no timeline for resolving the Chinle CHID cases.

The situation highlights what critics call a growing gap between Nygren’s administration and the communities it serves. At chapter meetings across the reservation, similar frustrations echo – promises of transparency met with unanswered emails, pledges of efficiency resulting in stalled projects, and vows of accountability with little visible consequence for inaction.

For Jumbo-Fitch, the issue transcends politics. “This isn’t about partisan attacks,” she said. “This is about whether our government can follow through on its most basic commitments to the people.”

As rain approaches, Francis watches the water stains spread across her trailer’s ceiling. She keeps her children’s medical records organized, and ready for the next specialist appointment in Phoenix. She waits for an email response, a construction date, and any sign that the home her family qualified for might materialize.

“When does ‘better’ finally come?” she asked in her letter. “When do we stop having to choose between our health and having a roof at all?”

The Navajo Times will continue investigating housing delays across the Navajo Nation. Readers with information about ARPA-funded projects are encouraged to contact rbettis@ntpc.biz.

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