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(August 2010) The Lumbee Tribe Rehabilitation Housing Program has invested approximately $6.5 million throughout the four county tribal territories in repairing tribal member’s homes to make them decent, safe and sanitary.
“To ensure fast service while ensuring quality work is something we are definitely proud of,” said Tribal Chairman Purnell Swett. The purpose of the program is to make home repair services available to qualified enrolled Lumbee tribal members whose dwellings are sub-standard, unsafe and/or lack acceptable sanitary facilities. “I was amazed, looking back, that we were able to rehabilitate 400 homes within the 2009/2010 fiscal year,” said Kent Locklear, the Rehabilitation manager. Included in the total were 45 mobile home replacements, amounting to roughly around $1.5 million.
Stimulus money was awarded to the Tribe during the 2008-2009 fiscal year in the amount of $4 million dollars. “The stimulus money has enabled us to become more productive in assisting tribal members,” stated Housing Director Bosco Locklear. In 2004, the Tribe had over 3,000 households on the rehabilitation and emergency rehabilitation “waiting lists”. In 2010, with the additional stimulus money, the program has condensed the number of tribal member households on the list to just over 800. “Unfortunately, the 2010/2011 budget will not have stimulus funds available however; the program remains active in finding alternate ways to be just as productive for our tribal members in the upcoming year,” Kent Locklear said.
According to the program, preference in housing assistance is give to tribal members who are elderly, 62 years of age and older, and/ or disabled followed by near elderly age of 55 to 61. All other applicants who have met the entire qualification requirements are placed on a list of services and assisted unless an adverse change in eligibility has occurred. For more information please contact, Rehabilitation Manager Kent Locklear at 910-521-7861.
CONTACT:
Kendra Danielle Chavis, Public Affairs Specialist
Office: 910.522.2187
Email: kdchavis@lumbeetribe.com |
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