SACRAMENTO, CA – California tribal housing bills AB 1878 and SB 1187 have passed the state legislature and been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bills make critical improvements to California’s Tribal Housing Grants Programs and address programmatic barriers that have impacted the performance of the existing programs.
The Pala Band of Mission Indians sponsored AB 1878, which will enact recommendations derived from three years of work between tribal leaders, state policymakers, tribal housing executives, tribal housing advocates, and state housing administrators. Data on the state’s tribal housing program from August 2023 shows that at that time $130 million has been “set aside” for tribal housing grants to allow tribes to provide much-needed housing to their citizens. Due to programmatic barriers, only five percent of these funds have made it to tribal governments to provide housing for their citizens. AB 1878 will improve the performance of the state’s tribal housing programs and will also establish a Tribal Housing Grant Program Advisory Committee to serve as a resource and collaborator with the state’s housing administration.
AB 1878 and SB 1187 will create opportunities for tribes to access direly needed housing funds as intended by state lawmakers. SB 1187 establishes the Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act, the first-ever tribal housing grant program in California, which provides tribes with a flexible and comprehensive resource to help meet citizen’s housing needs.
“Tremendous legislative progress has been made over the years to address the poverty, substandard and overcrowded housing, homelessness, and failing or nonexistent infrastructure of California tribes, but more work needs to be done to see real measurable success,” said Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “These two bills are vital steps in making crucial progress for our citizens, allowing tribes to access the funds set aside to help our people. We thank Governor Newsom, the state legislature, and all of the departments and individuals who helped in bringing these important bills into law.”
