The Nez Perce Reservation has housing needs, and assessment shows leaders, lenders the available opportunities

Housing is one of the biggest challenges in Idaho.

Almost every Idaho community is impacted by the rising costs or the lack of available housing. It’s a topic that is mentioned in most every conversation or meeting in which the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health participates.

This housing crunch includes Native American tribal land, which perhaps faces even more of a challenge than the rest of the state.

“Historically with tribal communities, issues like housing were always viewed as a federal issue,” said Kermit Mankiller, Board Chair, Nimiipuu Community Development Fund (“Nimiipuu Fund”).

Case in point: It’s been approximately 15 years since new homes were built on behalf of the Nez Perce Reservation, which is one reason there is a shortage of housing. Mankiller said the history has left behind a “psychological issue” in the market.

“The belief is that if the tribe doesn’t build a house, it’s not going to be built,” he said.

The Nimiipuu Fund in Lapwai is a nonprofit Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund that is committed to enhancing financial prosperity of Nez Perce Tribal members residing in and around the reservation. It offers loans and development services geared toward fostering wealth and constructing personal assets.

The Nimiipuu Fund hosted a Native American Housing event that included representatives from a variety of tribes, cities and housing authorities.

“That event really kicked off the discussion about housing needs and really the need for a housing needs assessment for the reservation,” Nimiipuu Fund Executive Director Jonelle Yearout said.

Housing assessments are important because they provide vital information required to make data-driven decisions regarding this complicated problem. The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health provided a grant to help the Nimiipuu Fund hire an consultant to conduct a thorough housing needs assessment for the Nez Perce Tribe along with diverse partners serving on the steering committee.

“A housing needs assessment is like gold,” Yearout said. “We were able to identify primary and secondary data needs that will provide guidance for policy leaders to move forward.”

The key findings and recommendations that came from the assessment were:

• Increase housing supply and density by developing more owner-occupied single-family housing, more housing for elders, more middle-density housing and higher-density low-income housing.
• Convene tribal leaders to determine highest and best use for tribal trust lands with input from Nez Perce Tribal Housing Authority, engineering and planning departments, as well as the Tribal Enterprises and Economic Development.
• Leverage institutions to create financial well-being.

“Hopefully there will be some new initiatives that come out of this, both from the tribal government and more importantly, the private sector,” Mankiller said. “One of the biggest challenges in building economies in Indian country has been attracting the capital. Another way to look at this study is that it’s a mechanism for us to be able to make our pitch to attract outside capital.”

Mankiller said addressing the housing problem on the reservation is part of a larger system issue.

“No. 1, how do you get housing here and No. 2 how do you facilitate people being able to afford the housing?” he asked. “You can build houses so everybody’s got a roof to live under, but what if nobody’s got a place to work? We have to be able to locate housing development strategically so it would be closer to jobs. We must focus on systems rather than just elements of systems.”

The assessment included a land inventory that could help tribal leadership determine where the best locations are to invest in housing.

“The inventory was pared down based on proximity to services and infrastructure,” Yearout said. “That could really be helping them in that process to prioritize.”

Mankiller wants potential private sector partners to see how the market data shows the housing market is an excellent opportunity for them.

“External viewers of the report will understand that the housing issue in our community is not just about poor people,” he said. “There are three or four distinct markets that require service. The vast majority are commercial banking needs, and until all the natives get equal access to capital, we’re always going to be dealing with this issue.”