Washington, D.C.– The Tohono O’odham KiKi Association (TOKA) received a $5.7 million Indian Housing Block Grant Aug. 4 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money will be eligible for a number of uses, including housing development, family and individual housing services, crime prevention and safety, and model activities that provide creative approaches to solving affordable housing problems.

TOKA administers housing for the Tribe’s approximately 28,000 members, who live on about 2.8 million acres in Arizona.

“The block grant program has been effective in getting tribes the resources they need, and this money will mean a great deal to the Tohono O’odham,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of the announcement. “We have to continue to identify where the need is greatest and how to address that need, and I commend TOKA for its commitment to assisting Tribal members who need not just housing but safe neighborhoods and working infrastructure.”

The grant was given based on a formula laid out in the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.

For more information, call JoAnn diFilippo at TOKA at (520) 383-5317.