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ONAP MISSION
The Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its mission is: To increase the supply of safe, decent, and affordable housing available to Native American families. To strengthen communities by improving living conditions and creating economic opportunities for tribes and Indian housing residents; and To ensure fiscal integrity in the operation of the programs it administers.

BACKGROUND
ONAP is responsible for administering and managing multiple competitive project based grants and formula grant programs as well as several loan programs which benefit housing development in Indian Country to address the overall lack of quality and quantity of housing.

The grant programs include the Indian Housing Block Grant which is a block grant administered under regulations found at 24 CFR 1000 and allocated using a formula described in Appendix B. The IHBG program is the single largest source of funding for housing on Indian tribal lands, where safe, decent, affordable housing is desperately needed. IHBG funds can be leveraged and used as a catalyst for community and economic development. The program substantially contributes to stabilizing communities and building healthy economies within American Indian and Alaska Native communities, many of which are in rural areas. Grant awards are distributed annually, by formula, to eligible American Indian or Alaska Native tribes, or their tribally designated housing entities, to provide a range of affordable housing activities that primarily benefit low-income Indian families living on Indian reservations or in other Indian areas. During the last decade, individual grants have ranged in size from about $50,000 to about $94 million, with a median grant of about $269,000. Flexibility inherent in this program enables tribes to design, develop, and operate their own affordable housing programs based on local needs and customs; HUD monitors grantees to ensure compliance with applicable statutes and regulations. Eligible affordable housing activities are listed in Section 202 of NAHASDA, and include:

• The provision of modernization or operating assistance for housing previously developed or operated with HUD funds; • The acquisition, new construction, reconstruction, or moderate or substantial rehabilitation of affordable housing; • Property acquisition, site improvement, and the development of infrastructure; • The provision of housing services, such as housing counseling and self-sufficiency activities; • Loan processing, inspections, and tenant selection; • The provision of safety, security, and law enforcement measures to protect residents of affordable housing from crime; and • Model activities (approved by the Secretary).

The United States Congress dictated for funds to be dedicated not only for the development of additional public and Indian housing units, but also for the modernization of the housing stock, the improvement of the management of the programs by the public and Indian housing authorities which own the housing, and for programs to address crime and security and provide supportive services and tenant opportunities. The programs are administered by the:


 * Immediate Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary
 * Office of Headquarters Operations
 * Office of Grants Management
 * Office of Grants Evaluation
 * Office of Loan Guarantee
 * Office of Field Operations
 * Office of Performance and Planning