After a history of forced eviction from their lands, Native Americans are now struggling to own homes.
Until recently, Indigenous peoples had little recourse against discrimination in housing policies. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 helped. However, data from Prosperity Now showed that only 45% of Native Americans in Montana own their homes, compared to nearly 70% of white residents.
Darrell LaMere, loan officer at the Billings-based Native American Development Corp., said the pandemic and the current housing crisis have compounded that problem.
“Affordability, availability, substandard housing – everything about the housing market is terrible in bookings,” he said. “Housing is in dire straits right now, on all reservations in Montana.”
LaMere said housing is an important part of economic development, adding that he thinks a priority should be helping potential borrowers improve their bad credit scores or negative credit reports, which could otherwise reduce their chances of qualifying for a mortgage.
LaMere said some big banks don’t work with people on reservations. This is reminiscent of the practice of redlining, when banks discriminated against people based on their race or neighborhood. He says there are also legal differences for reservations.
“We are considered sovereign countries,” he said, “and some banks are hesitant to invest on reserves, just because of the lockdown issue.”
He explained that part of the concern is that some tribes don’t have foreclosure laws, so it can be harder for banks to recoup their losses if a homeowner defaults.
Some financial institutions, including the NADC, work with these borrowers to improve their chances. LaMere noted that there is also 1st Tribal Lending, which can provide loans through India’s Section 184 Home Loan Guarantee Scheme. It is a product of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“A conventional bank would look at your credit score and your credit report. If it was bad, they would say, ‘No, we can’t give you a loan. But 1st Tribal Lending will work with you. Thus, they help people whose credit reports and credit history are compromised.
HUD data from 2017 showed the program guaranteed more than 37,000 loans.
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As Tennesseans battle the soaring cost of living, a bill making it a crime to camp on local public property is set to take effect July 1.
The future law was approved by lawmakers without Governor Bill Lee’s signature. Critics say the measure is aimed at punishing the state’s homeless population, while supporters point to the need to maintain and keep parks and other public spaces safe.
Rasheedah Phillips, director of housing for PolicyLink, explained in a recent webinar hosted by ProPublica, the tendency of investment companies known as private equity firms to buy large apartment complexes is, in part, to the root of the housing crisis in the country.
“Especially if you have low-income and working-class people living in these buildings,” Phillips pointed out. “You start to see displacement pressures, evictions, and that leads to deeper poverty, to homelessness.”
According to 2020 federal data, more than 7,000 Tennessee residents are homeless on any given day, and according to the U.S. Department of Education, pre-pandemic data showed nearly 19,000 students statewide have been homeless during the year.
Caitlin Sugrue Walter, vice president of research for the National Multifamily Housing Council, said a tight housing market has pushed many people who previously would have chosen to buy a house to rent.
“And that’s sort of how we evolved this problem,” observed Sugrue Walter. “We have high-income people who want to rent. And there’s not enough construction at different levels. And that’s how we get to this point where a lot of the housing costs go up dramatically.”
According to a Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans said the availability of affordable housing in their local community is a major issue, up from 2018.
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Montananese across the state are facing a housing crisis. Prices for renting and buying a home have skyrocketed, leaving vacancy rates extremely low in cities large and small.
Homeword in Missoula is a housing organization that has built affordable properties for approximately 2,000 people since 1994. It is also a housing counseling agency and provides education for first-time home buyers.
Andrea Davis, the group’s chief executive, said the housing market is making it difficult, even for businesses.
“We have a lot of expanding businesses or new businesses moving here,” Davis pointed out. “But they are absolutely stymied by the ability of their workers to find homes.”
Montana saw an influx of people early in the pandemic, inspiring “Zoom cities” where people could work remotely and be close to the state’s many outdoor activities.
Amy Hall, housing services attorney for the Montana Legal Services Association, said the lack of housing also means an increase in evictions. His organization partnered with the Montana Department of Commerce to create the Montana Eviction Intervention Project, which uses federal funding from the CARES Act.
“We help tenants by defending them in eviction lawsuits brought by landlords,” Hall explained. “And helping those tenants by providing what we call housing stability services.”
Hall noted that there is assistance available immediately for those facing imminent eviction through Montana Emergency Rental Assistance (MERA) dollars, which can also help landlords.
“MERA funds are a great deal for tenants because they help them avoid eviction,” Hall pointed out. “And it’s a good deal for landlords because they can recover funds that the tenant is unable to pay on their own.”
Hall added that, unfortunately, there are barriers to stopping an eviction, and once a person or family is evicted, it can be more difficult to find new housing.
Davis pointed out that there are ways Montana can help in this crisis, such as ensuring greater housing density rather than single-family homes in cities. She also pointed out that the federal government has proven it can provide emergency funding and should follow through with providing more housing subsidies.
“When people are on housing assistance and are able to pay their rent, they can do all the other things in their lives, including contributing economically to society, right?” Davis asked. “They can afford their jobs, they can afford to send their kids to daycare, to school, all of the above.”
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The conversion of a 60-year-old Santa Fe hotel is expected to give those looking for affordable housing, including the city’s homeless community, a breath of fresh air.
The Lamplighter Inn, on what was originally Route 66, will be transformed into a mix of 58 studio and one-bedroom apartments. A broad coalition, including the housing consultancy group Project Moxie, is part of the initiative. Matt Lynn, director of community engagement at Moxie, said he expects the facility to open in 2023.
“It will prevent people from falling into homelessness,” he said. “These are modestly sized units that rent at a very affordable price compared to the market rate in Santa Fe. It gives them the stability of having a safe place to sleep at night.”
The Biden administration has made federal stimulus funds available for hotel conversion projects. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, potential residents must earn less than 80 percent of the area’s median income, or about $41,000 a year. The rent for the Lamplighter housing units will initially be between $725 and $825 per month.
The hotel was purchased with conversion in mind by a group that includes Anchorum St. Vincent. Jerry Jones, interim president and CEO of Anchorum, said he thinks the collaboration could be a great model for other communities.
“Because you have a service provider, you have the nonprofits, you have the for-profits, you have the government entities,” he said, “that’s a great model for us , hopefully to approach future inventory in the same way.”
Lynn said hotel conversions are a cost-effective and quick way to address housing shortages, especially with current inflation and supply chain issues.
“We’re not going to be opening our doors tomorrow, but it’s going to go faster than if we had scraped the property and started again,” he said. “It’s a way to get units to market quickly.”
Lamplighter housing is also located next to Life Link, which provides services to break the cycles of chronic homelessness, mental illness, trauma, exploitation and addiction. To this end, 25% of the units will be reserved for people who need support services to remain in stable housing.
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