Support for Addressing Housing and Homelessness in Indian Country as a Public Health Priority

WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established in 1972, serving all Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments by advocating for the improvement of health care delivery to AI/ANs, as well as upholding the Federal government’s trust responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments, does hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, the federal government has assumed trust obligations to AI/AN Tribes and Peoples in perpetuity for health care, housing, education, public safety, land management, and other services established through over 300 Treaties signed between sovereign Tribal Nations and the United States that are further enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court case law, federal legislation and regulations, and presidential executive orders; and

WHEREAS, the federal government’s trust responsibility for health extends to every federal agency and department, not just the Indian Health Service (IHS); and

WHEREAS, housing is a social determinant of health, and all Tribal communities should have access to housing that is decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable, and

WHEREAS, homelessness, unstable housing, and overcrowded housing in Indian Country are strong determinants of health outcomes, whereby Tribal housing issues and challenges exacerbate the health disparities and lower health status experienced by AI/ANs; and

WHEREAS, studies demonstrate that homelessness and substandard housing are risk factors for domestic violence, human trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls, substance abuse, mental illness, and other health problems in Indian Country; and

WHEREAS, AI/AN communities are disproportionately impacted by housing issues with roughly 23 percent of existing homes in Tribal areas in need of repairs, upgrades, and reconstruction compared to 5 percent of all U.S. households; and

WHEREAS, there are estimated to be up to 85,000 homeless AI/ANs living in Tribal areas, contributing to significantly higher rates of overcrowded housing on Tribal reservations and lands, with 16 percent of AI/ANs experiencing overcrowded housing compared to 2 percent of all households nationwide; and