MARKSVILLE, LA – The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana broke ground on a multi-million-dollar affordable housing project during a special ceremony with tribal council members and citizens.
Chairman Marshall Pierite was joined by the tribal council, the Tunica-Biloxi Housing Department and project team members for the first turn of the shovels, marking the first phase of construction on 19 new, affordable housing units. Once completed, the homes will be three bedrooms and have mixed uses including elderly housing, emergency housing, and housing for dislocated tribal citizens and low-income tribal citizens, while being ADA accessible.
“For hundreds of years, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe has worked tirelessly to build each other up, support our friends and neighbors and find a solution to any inequities our citizens may face,” said Chairman Pierite. “Inadequate housing can negatively impact child development, threaten family stability and affect one’s mental health and well-being. These new homes will lift that burden off 19 families and provide them with a stable environment so they can grow and prosper.”
The new homes will be afforded to tribal citizen households who need them most. The development will address a housing shortage and instability that has come as a result of poor economic conditions or natural disasters. A dedicated team will see the project to completion, including Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Project Director, Earl Barbry, Jr.; Director of Land and Facilities, Ron Bordelon; Housing Director, Stephanie Stiles; and Tribal Employment Rights Officer, Terryl Pierite.
“We are committed to providing a solution to a growing problem that affects tribes across Indian Country,” said Barbry. “Soon, over a dozen deserving Tunica-Biloxi families will get to call this land their new home, which is why we are putting every bit of hard work we can into making this project beyond the best it can be.”
Funding for the project comes from a $6.4 million U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) grant through its Indian Housing Block Grant Program. The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe is one of 22 communities awarded funding from the $128 million Indian Housing Block Grant, an effort by HUD to fund affordable housing assistance to Native American tribes for construction, rehabilitation and other housing services.
Through HUD, Chairman Pierite serves on the first-ever Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (TIAC). The TIAC is comprised of dozens of tribal leaders who are committed to strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship between HUD and tribal communities, coordinating policy across all HUD programs and advising HUD regarding the housing priorities of the American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.
The 19 new units, which are being built along Birch Street on the Tunica-Biloxi reservation, will be completed by September 2028.
