USDA Launches Pilot Programs to Increase

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting Under Secretary Roger Glendenning announced on July 26 that USDA is launching two pilot programs to increase affordable homeownership opportunities for people on Tribal lands.

“Well-built, energy-efficient, affordable housing is essential to the vitality of communities in rural and Tribal America,” Glendenning said. “The assistance I’m announcing today will help people across this nation have the resources they need to build, purchase or repair homes in Tribal communities. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that all Americans have an affordable place they can call home and opportunities to build generational wealth through homeownership.”

USDA is launching the Tribal Property Valuation Pilot Program. It provides approved lenders the opportunity to obtain desktop appraisals for mortgage transactions on Tribal land. This program will help decrease the cost and eliminate potential inaccuracies of appraisal reports completed on properties located on Tribal land.

The Department is also launching the Tribal Rehabilitation Pilot Program to help people remain in safe and improved housing on Tribal lands and improve their quality of life. Many homes on Tribal lands have been passed on from one generation to the next and need renovations to make them safe and bring them up to current codes. Funds under this program may be used to finance repairs to these homes.

USDA is making these programs available for approved lenders through the Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. The programs will eliminate barriers to secure mortgages and make it easier to build, purchase and repair homes on Tribal lands. This funding is being made available as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in Tribal and rural areas. For more information, visit http://www.rd.usda.gov.