A $3.4 million federal grant was awarded to the Tohono O’odham Nation housing association to build infrastructure and roads to four villages for future housing developments.
The nation’s Ki:Ki Housing Association will use the Indian Community Development Block Grant American Rescue Plan funds to develop water infrastructure projects to deliver clean, potable water to the villages, which will lead to the construction of houses, said an official.
The project will build piping interconnections for water delivery to the villages. This is vital for subdivisions to be constructed in remote areas, the official said.
The federal money also is being used for the emergency construction of four manufactured homes.
About 34% of households lack adequate housing on the nation, and many families live with relatives in crowded conditions, said the official. More than 400 tribal members are on a waiting list for housing.
The Tohono O’odham Nation’s capital, Sells, is 60 miles southwest of Tucson. The nation is the size of Connecticut and covers 2.8 million acres and is 4,460 square miles. It is the second-largest reservation in Arizona after the Navajo Nation.
The housing association manages less than 500 rentals and houses for purchase. If infrastructure was set in place, the nation could construct subdivisions on vast, remote areas, and better meet the need of housing for tribal members, said the official. The association also is facing housing prices and construction costs that have nearly tripled since the pandemic.
Families who live in remote areas live off water from small wells and have septic tanks for waste disposal.
“These greatly needed funds will bring significant upgrades to the reservation’s infrastructure, including improvements in water delivery and residential housing construction,” said Tohono O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. in a news release.
The funding is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, announced U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva last week. “As chair of the Natural Resource Committee, I will continue to push for fair and adequate funding for tribal housing and infrastructure in our COVID-19 pandemic response laws, and am thrilled to see the direct impact of our advocacy for the Tohono O’odham Nation,” said Grijalva.
