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Press Release The Lumbee Tribe of N.C. Health and Human Services Department Receives First National Institutes of Health Award to Research Substance Misuse and Pain Pembroke, NC (August 16, 2024) – On Thursday, the Lumbee Tribal Council accepted an awarded contract from the National Institutes of Health’s Other Transactions Division to research substance misuse and pain. The contract will cover eleven and a half months of work at a cost of $608,042. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the program that will support Native American communities to lead public health research to address overdose, substance use, and pain, including related factors such as mental health and wellness. Totaling approximately $268 million over seven years, this effort will support research projects that are led directly by Tribes and organizations that serve Native American communities, and was established in direct response to priorities identified by Tribes and Native American communities. Dr. Cherry Beasley, Director of the Health and Human Services Department worked with the team to apply for the funding. This is the first time the Lumbee Tribe has received an award from the National Institutes of Health and also the first time having a project that is focusing on gathering research data to improve the health of tribal citizens. “This two-year planning project has four aims: 1) Develop a Substance Misuse Research and Community Advisory Committee; 2) Create a Lumbee Substance Misuse Data Dashboard and Storyboard; 3) Formation of a research training protocol, and, 4) Lay the groundwork for an indigenous cultural adaption of pain management,” said Beasley. She stressed, “The data can then be used to secure funding for addition projects, with the overall goal to offset opioid misuse in our community.” The Lumbee project, entitled “ Building iCRISP: Indigenous Community-Informed Research Infrastructure to address Substance Misuse and Pain Management.” is part of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) collaborative contract with the Lumbee Tribe who will work with other organizations, including the UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University and School of Medicine, UNCP, and CORE. Dr. Ronny Bell, an active member of the Lumbee Tribe, was very influential in obtaining the award. Drs. Bell and Beasley will work with a multi-disciplinary group that will utilize existing community and academic research resources to understand and address the underlying factors associated with substance misuse and pain management among Lumbee Citizens. “We are honored to have this opportunity to collaborate with the Lumbee Tribe to help address these important health issues,” said Bell, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor and chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP). Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery said drug use and drug abuse within the Lumbee community is prevalent. He thanked the internal team who worked on receiving this first-time funding from the National Institutes of Health. “This first award from NIH will help us research the causes and look for ways to decrease and hopefully eliminate the use of drugs among our Lumbee People,” said Lowery. “I am proud of this partnership with our Lumbee Health and Human Services Department, NIH and the collaboration with Dr. Ronnie Bell. We look forward to their findings. Drug use continues to destroy many lives and any opportunity we have to create programs to intervene and eliminate drug use is welcomed.”

The Lumbee Tribe of NC is joining State and Tribal Leaders to focus on rural development. Lumbee Tribe of NC Director of Housing Services, Bradley Locklear, and Intrim Agriculture & Natural Resources Manager, Larry Edwards, attended the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tribal Leaders Meeting today in Raleigh, NC, hosted by the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. The meeting focused on rural development, in which USDA Under Secretary Rural Development, Dr. Basil Gooden, spoke about the issues, concerns, and needs associated with American Indian Tribes and communities. Thank you to the NC Commission of Indian Affairs for conducting this forum to address much needed issues surrounding rural development throughout American Indian Tribes’ communities.

You are invited to the District 4 Community Meeting Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 6:30 pm at the Burnt Swamp Fire Department (54 Fire Department Rd., Red Springs, NC 28377.) The event is hosted by Councilman Jody Bullard. The meeting will offer information about tribal services and community information. Dinner will be served.

Press Release: Lumbee Tribe Holdings, Inc. Announces Transition

Message from Lumbee Tribal Chairman Lowery. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina administrative team is continuing to monitor Tropical Storm Debby as the storm moves farther inland today. We are working collaboratively with Robeson County officials and our local governments to be at the ready to assist our tribal citizens and community members as requested. The Lumbee Tribe Housing Complex and all tribal offices will be closed on Friday, August 9, 2024 for normal business operations. As rain continues to fall, there is flooding in areas across our tribal territory. We hope everyone will use caution and stay off the roads, listen to local law enforcement and emergency management officials, in order to keep you and your families safe. Sincerely, John L. Lowery Tribal Chairman

Press Release The Lumbee Tribe of N.C. Awarded $4.6 Million dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Housing Needs Pembroke, NC (August 5, 2024) - The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been awarded $4,663,585.00, through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive Grant Program. The IHBG-Competitive program seeks to address housing issues in Indian Country by allowing Tribes to access additional funds to meet housing needs in their communities. The LTNC Housing Department will utilize these competitive grant funds to continue development of the Pine Needles Elder Village Project in Rowland, North Carolina. The funds will be used to construct an additional twenty (20) affordable elder housing units at that site. The Lumbee Tribe held a ribbon cutting in April to celebrate the first three homes which were built on this site. There will be 23 homes built in the community, which is located less than a mile from Interstate 95 and just outside the Town of Rowland. The rental homes are 1200 square feet and have two bedrooms and one bath. The Lumbee Tribe opened the administration building in 2023. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the overall awards totaling $150.9 million for new affordable and innovative housing investments in Tribal communities. The Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Competitive funds play a crucial role in bolstering vibrant American Indian and Alaska Native communities. These funds are designated for various purposes, such as new construction, rehabilitation, and infrastructure to support affordable housing within Indian reservations and similar areas. The IHBG Competitive program holds particular significance for Tribal communities as it injects essential financial resources for the construction of new affordable housing for disadvantaged Tribal families. To see the full press release and list of all recipients visit https://www.hud.gov/.../press_releases.../HUD_No_24_196

The Lumbee Tribe of N.C. Housing Complex and all Tribal Offices will close today at 5 pm and remained closed Wednesday, August 7th and Thursday, August 8th in preparation of anticipated inclement weather from Tropical Storm Debby. We want to ensure the safety of our staff and encourage our tribal citizens and community to be cautious during this storm. Our tribal offices are scheduled to reopen Friday, August 9th.  All Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Clubs will re-open on Monday, August 12, 2024.

The latest TS Debby Briefing from the National Weather Service. Highlights - Extreme rainfall with projected 10 to 15 inch amounts, and some areas with 15 to 20 inches, will result in life-threatening flooding. The flooding risk will increase today into Wednesday and Thursday, then begin to decrease during Friday Storm surge inundation of 2 to 4 feet is possible for Brunswick, Horry, and Georgetown Counties where a Storm Surge Watch is currently in place. Isolated tornadoes are possible today through Thursday Forecast Confidence: High with respect to heavy rainfall and flooding, medium with surge, wind, and tornadoes.