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Cherokee Nation reports $14.6 million in homeowner aid as one-time fund nears end
Summary
Director Enloe told the council that 3,106 households applied for the Homeowners Assistance Fund, 1,955 were approved and $14,600,000 has been invested; the fund and several rehab programs are being used together to preserve housing before the HAF sunsets at the end of fiscal 2026.
Director Enloe told the Cherokee Nation council that the nation has used a mix of one-time federal and program funds to keep families in their homes and speed housing repairs.
“3,106 people or households have applied, and we've been able to approve 1,955… That's $14,600,000 that has been invested to keep people and to avoid foreclosure and keep them in their homes,” Enloe said during the council's reports.
The director described how staff combine four funding sources — the Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF), NAHASDA allocations from HUD, housing jobs funds with rehab and replacement components, and replacement-home grants — to support home renovation, replacement and new construction. Enloe said the HAF is a one-time program tied to federal pandemic-era funds and will “sunset at the end of this… fiscal year. So, in '26, those funds will go away. They're onetime funds.”
Enloe gave monthly operational figures for the housing-rehab pipeline: “for the month of September, we posted 72 jobs for contractors to bid on, and then, we had 97 under contract in the month of September… 44 of those completed in that same month as well.” He said the program typically maintains about 100 simultaneous rehab projects.
The presentation included project updates: two homes in Gulf Chote (at Cedar and Allen) were completed and one occupant has moved in; a 14-home HUD-funded development called Autumn Woods, near Grandview School, is largely roughed in with several units 85–90% complete; and modular homes have been placed in Keyes, with more planned for Salibu Hollow and Kenwood to accelerate housing availability.
Enloe framed the work as a push to use available one-time funds efficiently before they expire, and he praised the mortgage assistance and rehab teams for combining resources to serve residents. He offered to meet with councilors after the session to address follow-up questions.
The council did not take formal action on the report; no vote or directive was recorded on the housing items during the meeting.
