Warner, Kaine announce more than $1.4M in federal funding for Virginia tribes

WASHINGTON (WAVY) — Greater than $1.4 million in federal funding is headed to 4 Native American tribes in Virginia to assist inexpensive housing initiatives.

U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner introduced the funding in a information launch Thursday.

The funding will assist the tribes’ housing improvement, housing providers, crime prevention and security, and different inexpensive housing actions.

“These previous two years have been troublesome for all of us, with a number of the most excessive pandemic impacts falling on tribal communities,” the senators stated in a ready assertion within the information launch. “It’s vital that we not solely respect their sovereignty and self-determination, however assist them entry sources to handle pressing points, just like the inexpensive housing disaster.”

The funding got here by way of the Division of Housing and City Growth’s (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grant program.

Right here’s which tribes will get funding, and the way a lot:

• $327,533 for Chickahominy Indian Tribe in Windfall Forge
• $86,178 for Chickahominy Indian Tribe-Japanese Division in Windfall Forge
• $409,437 for Monacan Indian Nation in Madison Heights
• $220,655 for Higher Mattaponi Indian Tribe in King William
• $184,484 for Nansemond Indian Nation in Suffolk
• $86,095 for Pamunkey Indian Tribe in King William
• $88,003 for Rappahannock Tribe in Indian Neck

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe was the primary in Virginia to be federally acknowledged, opening up the chance to learn from federal packages. The choice was introduced by america Division of the Inside on July 2, 2015, and the choice date was efficient Jan. 28, 2016.

In 2016, Warner and Kaine led an effort to federally acknowledge six different tribes in Virginia, together with the Chickahominy, Japanese Chickahominy, Higher Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan, and Nansemond. The Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act was signed into legislation on Jan. 30, 2018.