Where: Hungry Valley, Nevada

Problem: The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony (RSIC) needed funding for its low-income housing development, but did not have a housing grant writer on staff to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance.

Solution: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) staff worked with Tribal leadership, USDA and a Tribal grant writer to complete a funding application in just three weeks.

Northern Nevada is in the throes of an affordable housing crisis. According to Washoe County data, the median price for an existing single-family house in the Reno-Sparks area was $390,000 in May 2019.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony has 1,157 members from three Great Basin Tribes – the Paiute, the Shoshone and the Washoe. RSIC has several communities in and around the Reno area; and built a thriving economy with local businesses, such as a Tribal health center and smoke shops. With growing Tribal enrollment, RSIC made plans to expand affordable housing for new members.

RSIC had plans well underway to develop a 100-acre site, which would include 125 new affordable homes. However it had an unfilled grant writing position in its housing staff, and its access to USDA Rural Development loans and grants was in jeopardy.

USDA Rural Development contacted RCAC and requested technical assistance for the Tribe. RCAC staff worked with a Tribal grant writer from the Reno-Sparks medical clinic. In just three weeks, RSIC wrote and submitted USDA Rural Development funding applications. RCAC taught Tribal staff how to use the USDA application system and stayed in close communication with the USDA state office to make sure the application was moving along.

The application was approved, and USDA awarded $1.626 million in loans and $1.3 million in grants to RSIC. Construction on the first 25 homes began in July 2020. This important project will increase Tribal members’ access to affordable housing