Fronteras

Anne Hoffman

Jimmy Yazzie stands next to his buddy, Wilfred Belone, at the Veterans Benefits Summit in Tuba City. The men were recruited out of high school on the reservation to fight in Vietnam.

For the first time, the federal government has made a focused effort to address Native American veteran homelessness. The Obama administration has awarded nearly $6 million in grants to 26 eligible tribes. Native Americans serve in the military at a higher rate than any ethnic or racial group.  

In the Southwest, the Hopi, Navajo, San Carlos Apache, Tohono O’odham and Zuni tribes will receive enough funds to house a total of 80 veterans. The entire amount will help 500 Native American vets across the country. 

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said he was determined to help tribes after he visited the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

“I saw 17 people living in a four-bedroom home, including two families in a single basement,” Castro said. “About half were young children surrounded by walls of crumbling brick, exposed pipe, entangled electrical wires.” 

Once in a home, Veteran Affairs (VA) will assign case managers to ensure the selected veterans have taken advantage of their benefits -— including substance abuse help, mental health counseling and the G.I. Bill. VA Secretary Robert McDonald said the hope is to find veterans employment so they can pay their rent after the voucher funds run out. The agency will work with tribes to find eligible veterans. 

Navajo Housing Authority CEO Aneva Yazzie said the program works well with the tribe's new Veteran Housing Assistant Policy, which waives rent for veterans whose income falls below 80 percent of the area median.

Castro said his team is working to complete an in depth national housing survey on tribal lands, so they can better understand the challenges and can address them more effectively.