BAYFIELD, WI – The Red Cliff Tribe has been awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish an assistance program for tribal members who own manufactured homes in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang (Red Cliff Reservation). The program will make funding available for needed repairs, significant rehabilitation, or full replacement of mobile homes.
“This award is another important step in our continued dedication to addressing the shortage of safe and affordable housing here in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang,” said Red Cliff Chairwoman Nicole Boyd. “With this award, the tribe can now establish a program to provide funding that would otherwise be unavailable for our most vulnerable community members.”
The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative of Community Enhancement (PRICE) provides funding specifically for the preservation and revitalization of manufactured housing, or mobile homes. Red Cliff tribal members who own manufactured or mobile homes in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang will be able to apply for home repair or replacement assistance directly from the tribe.
“While the tribe offers other homeowner assistance programs, they do not fully meet the needs of the community,” said Boyd. “The program we’ll be able to establish with this funding will help not only our elders and disabled individuals, but we’re committed to also helping our young families with children.”
The tribe is expecting to begin accepting home repair or replacement applications this coming June 2025. Home inspections for eligible tribal member homeowners through this program are estimated to begin in August 2025, followed by scheduling of the actual home repairs or replacements.
This grant award follows several other recent projects aimed at reversing the tribe’s extreme housing shortage. An IHBG Competitive Grant allowed for 12 new single-family units in 2021. The Red Cliff Tribal Council recently allocated ARPA funds for the construction of two 12-unit elderly apartment buildings. Phase I of the Giiwedin Community Housing Project is underway consisting of two new apartment buildings, with each building featuring eight units for Red Cliff tribal members. The cleanup of over 30 residential lease sites is ongoing and will also open more residential space for member-owned housing.
“Many elders struggle to maintain their home improvement needs due to fixed incomes and inability to take care of it themselves as they age,” said Red Cliff elder Maxine Babineau. “It is so important for us to be able to age in place, in our homes, and in our community.”