Mission Indian Fernan de Gnotatavium Band has launched its first senior housing project in Los Angeles County, creating 26 affordable units for native elders on fee land in the county’s northern part of the county. The initiative was developed in collaboration with Pukúu Cultural Community Services and Aszkenazy Development Inc., and marks a tribal milestone. It aims to address the long-standing housing challenges of members and the wider Native American community.
Tribal President Rudy Ortega Jr. highlighted the historical significance of development, noting that while Native Americans were the first to be evacuated, they were among the last people often to receive assistance. The $12 million project is funded by the state’s Tribal Homekey program, part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wide $91 million initiative to support tribal housing efforts. Additional support comes from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Los Angeles County, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The development is on fee land rather than federal trust land, allowing tribes to move forward without federal jurisdictional hurdles. Pukuu, a tribal nonprofit, will provide resident services once the project is completed. The executive director of tribal citizen Pamela Villazenor surrounded the project as the culmination of a generation of advocacy. “In more than 100 years, we’ll house people again,” she said.
Source link
