Lumbee Tribe Receives HUD Funding to Double Assistance to Homeless Veterans

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has awarded $4.4 million in Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (Tribal HUD-VASH) grants to 28 Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs). The Lumbee Tribe of NC received a renewal award of their program for $178,529 and an expansion award of $197,130. The Lumbee Tribe currently assist 20 homeless Veterans. The expansion will double that number to 40 homeless Veterans. The Lumbee Tribe was one of only five tribes in the U.S. to receive the HUD-VASH expansion of their program.

The Tribal HUD-VASH program provides housing and supportive services to Native American Veterans who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness by combining rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA. In 2015, Congress authorized funding for a Tribal demonstration program in order to expand the HUD-VASH program into Indian Country. HUD was directed to coordinate with Tribes, TDHEs, and other appropriate Tribal organizations on the design of this program and to ensure the effective delivery of housing assistance and supportive services to eligible Native American Veterans. Since its inception, the program has housed almost 600 Native American Veterans and has provided case management services to many more. Tribes will be able to reach more Veterans with today’s expansion of the program.

Lumbee Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr. and the staff who wrote and assisted with the grant signed the Veterans Grant Agreement from HUD - Housing and Urban Development to expand the Lumbee Tribal HUD-VASH Program. Chairman Godwin also thanked the Tribal Staff for their great work on the grant which will support our Lumbee Veterans.