Barbara Allen, Program Manager Montana State University Extension Housing & Environmental Health Program 102 Taylor Hall Ph:

Current tribal programming… Tribal Healthy Homes:  Mold identification and remediation  Asthma trigger identification and verification  Technical assistance to tribal housing entities TribalP2.org – Tribal Pollution Prevention Program  EPA Pollution Prevention Information Network MSU Weatherization & Training Center

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Blackfeet: (N=52)  38% of homes had non-functioning smoke detectors  60% of bathrooms (N=61) had visible water damage  15% of bathrooms had visible mold  16 out of 52 homes reported recent flooding or history of flooding  100% did have access to Poison Control Phone #

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Fort Peck (N=72)  27% of homes had non-functioning smoke detectors  21% of bathrooms (N=126) had visible water damage  31% of bathrooms had visible mold  93% did have access to Poison Control Phone #  11 homes had wells, none had been tested during the past year  9 of 57 dryer vents were venting indoors  7 of 17 basements had water damage

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Fort Belknap (N=85)  29% of homes had non-functioning smoke detectors  24% of bathrooms (N=129) had visible water damage  15% of bathrooms had visible mold  82% did have access to Poison Control Phone #  17 of 84 homes reported having a resident who has asthma  54 homes had rain gutters, 32 did not function  16 homes had leaky roof  7 of 15 basements had water damage

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Northern Cheyenne (N=37)  26% of homes had non-functioning smoke detectors  11% of bathrooms (N=54) had visible water damage  17% of bathrooms had visible mold  13 of 37 reported having a rodent/pest problem

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Flathead (N=72)  27% of homes had non-functioning smoke detectors  21% of bathrooms (N=104) had visible water damage  31% of bathrooms had visible mold  93% did have access to Poison Control Phone #  19 of 72 kitchen and 19 of 103 bathrooms had hazardous household materials in reach of small children  35 of 72 homes obtain drinking water from an unregulated well  23 of 72 homes allowed commercial tobacco use in the home

Follow up to Tribal Healthy Homes Assessments Unique findings: Rocky Boys (N=57)  38% of bathrooms (N=79) had visible water damage  20% of bathrooms had visible mold  98% did have access to Poison Control Phone #  26 homes had recent flooding  20 homes had environmental tobacco smoke present

Our focus on new developments… HUD -Indian Community Block Grant Program: CSKT: $1.1 million: SK Housing Authority will address high levels of arsenic and iron in the water supplied to 39 homes Rehabilitate 20 private homes owned by tribal members Blackfeet: $1.1 million: Rehabilitate 29 homes Northern Cheyenne: $900K Rehabilitate 27 homes

Our focus on new developments… HUD -Indian Housing Block Grant Program: Crow: $2.7 million Fort Peck: $4.6 million Blackfeet: $6.6 million Rocky Boys: $2.7 million Flathead: $4.4 million Fort Belknap: $1.7 million Northern Cheyenne: $2.9 million

Native American Housing Assistance & Self- Determination Act (1996) Moved $ out of HUD and repositioned it in the form of block grants transferred directly to tribes.  fewer restrictions  $ has to serve low-income families  down-payment assistance  new construction  HUD itself estimates that current NAHASDA funding will only meet 5% of the need for housing….the level of need far exceeds the funding = maintaining status quo

IHBG Designed for tribes to use this funding to build new homes, or to solve their most pressing housing issues. Remember: There was a reservation housing boom that resulting in tens of thousands of housing units through the early 80s. – Many of these homes were poorly constructed, most funding since has been applied to rectifying these building issues (siting, lacking adequate insulation) INSTEAD of new construction.

Overcrowding and other issues National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC), 2013 report: 30% of reservation homes are overcrowded 40% of reservation homes are considered substandard (6% of US housing) Less than half are connected to public sewer systems 16% lack indoor plumbing  Overcrowding aggravates human health concerns.  When multiple families are living in the same home, you have more health issues.

Overcrowding and other issues US Census Bureau: 46% of reservation homes are overcrowded (3X greater than national average) 28% lack adequate plumbing and kitchen facilities (5X greater than national average) 70% of existing housing stock in need of upgrades and repairs, many of them extensive

Meth contamination on tribal lands Tribal Meth ( A planning toolkit for Tribal leaders and educators: Three PowerPoint Presentations Video/DVD of Meth Issues in Indian Country Tribal Codes Related to Meth Meth Awareness Booklet Meth Awareness Bookmark Stickers and Tattoos Audience Focus Cards Newspaper Filler Ads Poster

Meth contamination on tribal lands Testing housing units upon vacancy Flathead: Testing 445 units 110 units tested, 62 tested positive for meth Cleaning can range from a chemical scrub to an entire gutting Some cleanup jobs = $50K So far $325K spent on meth-related cleanup of 16 units