Indian Nations Law Update - October 2011
October 06, 2011Godfrey & Kahn Welcomes Martina Gast
Martina Gast has joined the Labor & Employment and Indian Nation law Practice Groups. Martina, a member of the Red Rock First Nation in Ontario, earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, where she also earned her B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in American Indian Studies. Prior to starting law school, she worked as a tribal events co-coordinator on the Morris K. Udall Foundation Legacy Bus Tour in Tucson, Arizona.
HUD Announces Availability of Indian Community Development Block Grants
HUD has published the FY 2012 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program. The ICDBG Program is a set-aside portion of the larger Community Development Block Grant Program. Single-purpose grants may be used for a broad range of housing, infrastructure and economic development purposes targeted primarily for the benefit of low and moderate income persons, including:
- housing rehabilitation;
- land acquisition to support new housing construction;
- roads, water, sewer and other utilities;
- public facilities, including community buildings, homeless shelters, clinics, nursing homes, battered spouse shelters, halfway houses for drug offenders or parolees and group homes for mentally retarded persons;
- energy efficiency improvements;
- commercial, industrial and agricultural projects;
- economic development, including credit, technical assistance and general support to micro business enterprises; and
- homeownership assistance, including subsidizing interest rates and mortgage principal amounts, financing the acquisition of housing by current occupants, down payment assistance and closing costs;
Congress has yet to appropriate funds for ICDBG program for FY 2012. The total approximate amount of funding available for the ICDBG program for FY 2011 was $64,870,000, including $3,952,080 reserved for Imminent Threat Grants.
ICDBG applications must be received by January 4, 2012. Godfrey & Kahn has assisted tribes in preparing applications for ICDBG funds. For more information, contact Brian Pierson at 414.287.9456 or bpierson@gklaw.com.