Bill Summary
The "Tribal Affordable Housing Act" is a proposed legislation aimed at enhancing affordable housing opportunities for Indian Tribes and Tribally designated housing entities. It mandates the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a grant program to support the construction and maintenance of residential units on Tribal lands.
Key provisions include:
1. **Grant Program**: The Secretary must award grants competitively to eligible entities within one year of the Act's enactment. These grants can be used for building new residential units or adding necessary features to existing ones.
2. **Funding**: The Act authorizes $150 million in annual appropriations starting in fiscal year 2026 to fund the program.
3. **Eligibility Criteria**: Eligible entities include Indian Tribes or Tribally designated housing entities that have received less than $500,000 in HUD allocations in at least one of the past five years under the existing Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act.
4. **Compliance**: The grant program will follow the guidelines established under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.
Overall, this legislation aims to address housing shortages and improve living conditions in Tribal communities by providing crucial financial support for housing development projects.
Possible Impacts
The "Tribal Affordable Housing Act" could affect people in several significant ways:
1. **Increased Access to Affordable Housing**: The Act aims to provide grants to Indian Tribes and Tribally designated housing entities for the construction and maintenance of residential dwelling units. This could lead to an increase in the availability of affordable housing options for Native American communities, enabling more families to secure stable and safe living conditions.
2. **Economic Development Opportunities**: By funding the construction of residential units and necessary features, the Act could stimulate local economies. It may create job opportunities for tribal members in construction, maintenance, and related services, promoting economic growth within tribal communities and improving overall quality of life.
3. **Enhanced Living Conditions**: The provision for adding necessary features to existing residential units may significantly improve the living standards for tribal members. This could include enhancements such as better plumbing, electrical systems, or accessibility modifications, which can lead to healthier and safer living environments for families and individuals on tribal lands.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5824 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5824
To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award
grants to Indian Tribes and Tribally designated housing entities for
the purposes of providing affordable housing and the maintenance or
construction of residential dwelling units for Tribes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 24, 2025
Ms. Stansbury introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to award
grants to Indian Tribes and Tribally designated housing entities for
the purposes of providing affordable housing and the maintenance or
construction of residential dwelling units for Tribes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tribal Affordable Housing Act''.
SEC. 2. TRIBAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING GRANT PROGRAM FOR.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall, not later
than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, award grants
on a competitive basis to eligible entities for 1 or both of the
following activities on Tribal land:
(1) Building a residential dwelling unit.
(2) Adding at least 1 necessary feature to a residential
dwelling unit.
(b) Program Requirements.--Any grant awarded under this section
shall be administered in accordance with program requirements under the
Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996
(25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.).
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and
each subsequent fiscal year to carry out this section.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means
any of the following:
(A) An Indian Tribe that, in at least 1 of the 5
fiscal years immediately before the fiscal year,
received a final allocation of less than $500,000 from
the Department of Housing and Urban Development under
the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.).
(B) A Tribally designated housing entity from an
Indian Tribe that, in at least 1 of the 5 fiscal years
immediately before the fiscal year, received a final
allocation of less than $500,000 from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development under the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996
(25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.).
(2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given such term under section 4 of the Native American
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25
U.S.C. 4103).
(3) Necessary feature.--The term ``necessary feature''
means any feature that, as determined by the Secretary, would
improve a residential dwelling unit or would be necessary to
build a residential dwelling unit.
(4) Residential dwelling unit.--The term ``residential
dwelling unit'' means a dwelling unit that is owned or leased,
or intended to be owned or leased, in whole or in part, as the
home or residence of 1 or more individuals.
(5) Tribally designated housing entity.--The term
``Tribally designated housing entity'' has the meaning given
such term under section 4 of the Native American Housing
Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103).
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