Native American Housing Circle

Low Income Housing Tax Credits have been a historically effective funding method for affordable housing. Colorado is one of two states that have never had a Native American specific LIHTC project. AI/AN make up .76% of the Denver MSA but constitute 7% of the population experiencing homelessness. Native American-centric LIHTC projects have been successful in Seattle, Phoenix, Portland, and Duluth. They have had the effect of increasing the amount of affordable housing and galvanizing the Native American Community by creating a decolonized space. The erasure of Native American culture is harder when you have successful community pillars and increase the opportunities for culture sharing with the larger public. Creating affordable housing for the Denver Urban Native population attacks the homeless problem, reaffirms treaty obligations, creates community, and fights erasure. 

This project addresses two problems: the overrepresentation of Native Americans experiencing homelessness in the Denver Metro, the erasure of Native American culture and presence in the Denver Metro. 

Both of these issues are relevant in every US MSA, because they are a result of historic, systemic, racism against Native Americans.  One example is the Indian Relocation Act, where 750K Natives were bussed from the Reservations to several different MSA (including Denver), with the promise vocational training and moving assistance. For many, those promises were never met and the culture shock was jarring. 

Fighting Native American culture erasure is especially important in Colorado. When you compare how many tribes historically resided in Colorado with the amount of sovereign land in Colorado, it is easy to see how aggressive the state has been in their violence towards Natives. An example of that aggression is the Sand Creek massacre committed by the Third Colorado Regiment. An example of the states indifference, is the naming of Mt. Evans (Governor Evans commissioned the Sand Creek Massacre) and Kit Carson and Custer Counties. Creating spaces of culture-sharing and community building are crucial in fighting cultural-erasure and have been successful in other Native specific affordable housing projects. 

Our solution is to develop affordable housing that incorporates and targets the Native American population of the Denver Metro area.  More units is the only long-term solution to housing insecurity. Moreover, there is power in intentionally occupying physical space. New development affordable housing is at the forefront of intentional design and there are even examples of successfully incorporating Native American culture with LIHTC projects in Seattle, Portland, Duluth, and Phoenix. These spaces have the power to galvanize the Native communities they serve, creating community, fostering Indigenous culture, and provides opportunity for culture sharing for the larger, Denver Metro community. It is especially important to pursue a project like this in Denver for two reasons: The first is Denver's history of colonization and violence towards Native peoples, the Sand Creek Massacre serving as a prime example. The second is that Denver has more Native serving non-profits, and Native serving Federal offices than any other Metro in the country. This is because Denver still serves as the gateway to Plains and Rocky Mountain portions of Indian Country. If we have all these Native serving organizations, it makes sense to develop projects that serve the urban Native population. 

Our target population is Native American population in the Front-range of Colorado. The Denver Indian Family Resource Center is currently working with Amaktoolik Studios to develop a needs assessment for this population. This needs assessment will be the first of its kind for this region and will better communicate to the different stakeholders the real need for this type of housing. Incorporating the Native community will be crucial in developing the needs assessment and will be done through surveying, town halls, and conversations. Historically, the Denver Metro has over 40 tribes call it home and today there are members from over 60 different sovereign tribal nations within her boarders.  

Housing insecurity negatively affects Native Americans at a disproportionate rate compared to any other racial group in the DMA. This is due to historical and cultural reasons specific to Native Americans. Native American culture erasure in Colorado is a real issue due to the lack of sovereign land in the Front range. This creates an environment where the state and city legislature do not value treaty rights or the values of the Indigenous population. 

This project addresses both issues by increasing the amount of affordable units targeted at the Indigenous population and creating Indigenized spaces to create community and culture-share.

We are currently developing a needs assessment that will address the need for affordable housing for the Indigenous population of the Front-range. This is the first step in beginning the conversation with civil, community, and financial institutions about why the project is needed. The next major step will be developing a competitive application for Low Income Housing Tax Credits. 

We are borrowing best practices from other similar organizations pursuing Native American affordable housing in metro areas. What separates us, is that there is no tribal trust land anywhere near the front-range. Tribal Nations can add legitimacy and weight to a project. Instead, this work must be pursued by Native American serving non-profits. This is important. Housing is a treaty obligation for most Tribes and the US government fulfils that obligation through NAHASDA. NAHASDA funds tribal housing on tribal trust land. However, 70% of Indian Country do not live on tribal trust land, they live in metro areas. Figuring out how to incorporate Urban Natives into Indian Country is an ongoing issue and we are diligent in working to be apart of the solution. 

Intentional design will be included as a part of the development process. This includes incorporating green technology, ancestral knowledge in how community spaces are used, and housing Native specific counseling and services in the new building. The LIHTC application process also continues to develop and challenge its applicants to be innovative. 

Some examples of Native serving LIHTC projects:

AICHO - Home

Chief Seattle Club

LIHTC application carry the risk of large front-end investment in the application. CHFA does have a point system but there is a lot of room for CHFA to be arbitrary in who it selects for tax credits. The biggest risk is sunk costs of capital and time.  

Create units and create community spaces. This project aims to house our relatives and provide a space to teach our youth. It creates an opportunity to invite our neighbors to learn about what is important to us and why. We have been here for time immemorial and we will be here for time immemorial. Housing is justice and the Indigenous peoples of the Denver Metro area deserve more justice. 

There will be more specific needs identified through the needs assessment but those are the underlying issues and how this project serves as a long term solution.  

The administration of the Native American Housing Circle is currently housed at the Denver Indian Family Resource Center. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Denver Indian Family Resource Center has provided 118 families with a total of $104,800 in emergency housing support. Eventually, the Native American Housing Circle will create its own non profit. If successful, the project will look to serve 1,000 families in its first five years through community programming. 

The first impact will be the creation of a needs assessment for the Urban Native population living in the Front range of Colorado. The next step will be the creation of Native Housing non-profit. Then the next step will be developing community partners in pursuit of a LIHTC development project to serve the Native population. 

We have specific outcomes: housing needs assessment, creation of a Native Housing non-profit, development of a Native affordable housing. 

There is significant financial, legal, and cultural barriers to developing an affordable housing project. It is a niche form of housing development and requires specific knowledge. The Native American Housing Circle will continue to build a coalition of institutional partners and rely on the help of vetted consultants. 

The Native American Housing Circle is developing relationships with Colorado Housing Finance Authority, Metro Denver Housing Imitative, Denver Indian Center, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the state of Colorado among others. This will be crucial in telling the story to institutional partners and begin the long process of pursuing LIHTC for a Native affordable housing. 

12 full time people at Denver Indian Family Resource Center

2 of which are specifically dedicated to housing

The Native Housing Circle is over 30 people, all volunteer. 

We are the beginning stage of the process having gone through a strategic development process to define our five year plan. We are on the first step of that process in developing a Native specific housing needs assessment. 

Here are the vision, mission, and values of the Native American Housing Circle. I feel they answer the question.

Vision: A strong Native-led voice for culturally responsive housing to support stability and
healing.
Mission: To advocate for and create affordable housing opportunities and direct services for
Native American people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in the Denver Metro
area.
Values: Native-centric approach, collaborative, community driven, innovation, equality.

The issues of Urban Natives have gotten lost in the general conscious of the Colorado public. We are overrepresented in the housing insecure population and the general public does not value Native American culture or identity. This has negative effects in policy and in outcomes. We are applying to Solve to tell the story and to help the people.  

Financing partners, partners with experience developing affordable housing.

Housing is health care.