Bush Administration awards $3 million to native Hawaiian and Alaska native colleges and universities

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BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS $3 MILLION TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 10, 2008 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today awarded $3 million to four Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian colleges and universities to help revitalize neighborhoods, promote affordable housing and stimulate economic development in their communities.

The funding is provided through HUD’s Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) Program. For an institution to qualify as an Alaska Native Institution, at least 20 percent of the undergraduate student enrollment must be Alaska Native. To qualify as a Native Hawaiian Institution, at least 10 percent of the school’s undergraduate enrollment must be Native Hawaiians.

“These colleges and universities play a vital role in their communities and I’m pleased HUD can help support them as they work to revitalize the communities,” said Preston. “By teaming up with these institutions of higher learning, HUD can improve neighborhoods, offer needed public services, and stimulate community development.”

The following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian colleges and universities were awarded funding:

State

Recipient

City

Amount

Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks, Interior Aleutians

Fairbanks

$799,965

Hawaii University of Hawaii-Kauai Community College

Honolulu

$794,728

  University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu

$799,907

  University of Hawaii-Hawaii Community College

Honolulu

$605,400

TOTAL

$3,000,000

The Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD’s Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for partnering colleges and universities with their communities in a shared search for answers to pressing urban problems. More information about OUP and its programs is available on the Internet at www.oup.org.

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HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation’s fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

FY 2008 Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities

University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Interior Aleutians Campus – $799,965

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Interior Aleutians Campus intends to use its Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) grant to work with the Interior Regional Housing Authority (IRHA) and with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) on a community development project that will renovate the Gaalee’ya Spirit Camp, a culture camp used for nearly 20 years for the healing of young people struggling with substance abuse, suicide, and academic failure. The camp programs increase leadership skills and help improve self-esteem and academics, which set the stage for increasing high school graduation rates that will, in turn, lead to greater college participation among Alaska Native and general population students. These benefits will, moreover, create an improved climate for employability, the development of the future Native leadership and healthier communities.

University of Hawaii-Kauai Community College – $794,728

The University of Hawaii-Kauai College intends to use its Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) grant to construct the Kekaha Community Enterprise Center, to be located on Kekaha Hawaiian Homelands-on Kauai’s west side. Upon completion of the building, the college will offer critical financial literacy counseling, foreclosure prevention workshops and basic skills courses, in conjunction with Hawaiian Community Assets. In addition to services for beneficiaries and Kekaha community members, capacity building for Kekaha Hawaiian Homes Association is also proposed. Services will address the urgent needs of new beneficiaries-many of whom are relocating to Kekaha from Ni‘ihau and face unique challenges in homeownership and job skills. Services will also be made available to Kekaha community members, who are also challenged with the high costs of living and high median home costs in the area.

University of Hawaii$799,907

The University of Hawaii intends to use its Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) grant to build the Kanewai Cultural Resource Center, a cultural resource center that will have a significant impact on the community by providing a permanent public facility for the active development of cultural learning, creating a sanctuary for the practice of traditional culture and taro cultivation, and serving as a resource for the statewide implementation of cultural, experiential learning curriculum. The proposed Kanewai Cultural Resource Center will give Native Hawaiians and other low- to moderate-income persons a sanctuary that provides the freedom to experience and practice their heritage in a traditional setting while also having the modern amenities to accommodate all aspects of their learning. Functionally, the resource center will be one of only a few, intact, resource centers in Urban Honolulu available to service the broader native Hawaiian community and all schools.

University of Hawaii-Hawaii Community College – $605,400

The University of Hawaii-Hawaii Community College intends to use its Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC) grant to assist the Pana’ewa Hawaiian Home Lands Community Association and Haola, Inc., in Hilo, Hawaii. The proposed Kamoleao Laulima Community Resource Center (KLCRC) construction and programs project, will be located on 1-1/2 acres of 12 acres at Pana’ewa Hawaiian Home Lands in an area known as “Kamoleao,” in Hilo, Hawaii. The proposed KLCRC project will directly address community-identified needs and solutions for low- to moderate-income (LMI) youth and adults of the Hawaiian Home Lands and adjacent Hilo communities. The proposed KLCRC will incorporate the fields of construction technology, business, commercial food operations, agriculture, and Hawaiian culture.

Contact:
Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685

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