AKWESASNE -- The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will receive a $2 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUS distributes Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) allocations each year to eligible tribes or their tribally designated housing entities for a range of affordable housing activities.

The St. Regis Mohawks oversee the Akwesasne Housing Authority.

IHBG funds benefit low-income families living on Indian reservations.

The amount of each grant is based on a formula that considers local needs and housing units under management by the tribe or designated entity,” HUD said.

Eligible activities for the funds include housing development, assistance to housing developed under the Indian Housing Program of the 1937 Housing Act, housing services to eligible families and individuals, housing management services, crime prevention and safety, and model activities that provide creative approaches to solving affordable housing problems. The block grant approach to housing was enabled by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), according to HUD.

HUD’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget seeks $700 million for Native American Housing Block Grants, $50 million above the 2016 enacted level, to address severe overcrowding and substandard housing conditions in Indian country.

An additional $20 million in Indian Community Development Block Grant funding is being requested for projects for Native youth, such as the construction or renovation of community centers, health clinics, transitional housing, pre-school or Head Start facilities and teacher housing. Up to $5 million in Jobs-Plus funding will be used to implement a demonstration of the program in Indian country to boost employment and earnings, HUD said.