Confederated Tribes to receive $900,000 federal COVID-19 grant

WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley recently announced the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Indians will receive a $900,000 federal grant to help alleviate a housing shortage and reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19.

“Additional housing provides a vital defense against the spread of this pandemic that has landed so hard on tribes in Oregon and nationwide,” Sen. Wyden said. “These federal funds for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Indians are timely, and I will keep battling for every possible resource to help tribal members throughout our state deal with COVID-19’s threats to public health and the economy.”

“Safe and reliable housing has always been an integral component to the well-being of a community,” said Sen. Merkley. “And at a time when people are staying home and doing everything they can to slow the spread of the coronavirus, access to housing is even more important. Tribal communities have been among the hardest hit by this pandemic, so it’s especially important to get resources like these to tribes — to get through this crisis and to build for a better future.”

The $900,000 Indian Community Development Block Grant for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Indians to build three tiny homes is part of the federal Housing and Urban Development’s Imminent Threat funding provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act for Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages to put toward community development projects to prepare, prevent and respond to COVID-19.

“The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are pleased to be the recipient of the ICDBG Cares Funding for a Tiny Home Village project,” said Tribal Council Chair Debbie Bossley. “This essential endeavor was a collaborative effort by a group of housing specialists who identified a housing need for the community, and this grant reward will assist with the infrastructure and the beginning construction of the Tiny Home Village.”

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