Cherokee Nation housing program reports backlog, $8.9M in homeowner aid and multiple upcoming move-ins

Todd Enloe, Housing Services, told the Community Services Committee that the department touched 4,727 households in May and still has 5,723 pending applications.

The pending applications include about 1,100 for rehabilitation, 360 for homeownership (Neha'sda), 21 insurance claims, 1,560 rental-property cases, 1,762 rental-assistance subsidy cases and 832 new-home-construction cases, Enloe said.

The backlog matters because some funding streams must be spent down. "The homeowner assistance fund has touched 2,676 households for a total of $8,900,000 since January 2022," Enloe said, and he told the committee that the fund will be discontinued at the end of the next fiscal year and staff are working to spend remaining eligible dollars before then.

Enloe described a mortgage-assistance program that provides $20,000 to $25,000 in down-payment help. "Since the start of the fiscal year we've assisted 56 households," he said, and added that that morning he signed four wire transfers for down payments toward closings.

On construction, Enloe said a grand opening for Redbird Smith Estates in Sallisaw is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, when 12 families will move into finished homes. He said a related Jay "Ganohili" development will follow, and that between Sallisaw and Jay the department expects 22 families to move into new homes in back-to-back weeks. Enloe said duplex rental units in Sallisaw will be ready shortly after those move-ins.

Enloe gave shorter timelines for other projects: three units (six rentals) in Ocheleta about 45 days out, and two houses in Gulf Jode expected within 30 to 40 days.

Council members asked about construction costs, contractor availability and turnover of vacated apartments. In response, Enloe said material prices have been mostly stable but that HVAC costs spiked about 12% after tariff signals because of steel and metal inputs. He gave a recent example on the rehab side: the lowest bid for a two-bedroom, one-bath replacement home came back at $223,000, which he said was unaffordable and prompted a rebid.

Enloe also said the department has a limited pool of contractors certified for lead-based paint and asbestos-containing-material work, which can require re-bidding and delay projects. To speed apartment turnover, Enloe said staff shifted maintenance crews and in the last two weeks made about 30 units ready for new occupants.

The committee did not take action on the report; members thanked staff and asked for continued updates on the homeowner assistance fund and construction timelines.