Giving Compass' Take:

• Urban Institute reports on the lack of access that American Indian and Alaska Natives have to housing services if they live in metropolitan areas rather than tribal land. 

• How can organizations and philanthropists work to make these services more accessible? Is it possible to partner with local American Indian organizations to help engage the community with the housing process?

• Read about the challenges this population faces receiving access to quality health care. 

From providing rental assistance to building new housing, American Indian tribes and Native Alaskan villages provide a variety of housing services to people who live on tribal land. Yet, for the American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIANs) who live in metropolitan areas, accessing these important housing services can be much more complex.

On tribal lands, people tend to be aware of the housing-related services available to them. They know where and how to apply for what they need and are comfortable interacting with staff, many of whom are AIANs.

But 65 percent of people who identify AIAN as their only race live in metropolitan areas that are less likely to have services and service providers that target AIAN residents’ specific needs.

In metropolitan areas that have services for the AIAN community, some organizations that target or exclusively serve AIAN people actually offer referrals to mainstream providers rather than assisting people directly. Even among larger, well-established AIAN organizations that provide housing services, funding tends to be piecemeal and insufficient.

Providing housing-related services is difficult when our understanding of AIAN need and available resources is incomplete. There is no inventory of providers that serve the AIAN community in metropolitan areas to identify gaps in provision. No data on the funding sources that service providers can tap for housing purposes have been analyzed to identify underutilized sources. And there is no overall assessment of housing conditions and needs among AIANs in metropolitan areas to help target services and resources.

Tackling AIAN housing challenges in metropolitan areas likely will remain difficult until additional light is brought to bear on these issues.

Read the full article about housing services for Native Americans and Alaska Natives by Diane K. Levy at Urban Institute