White Mountain Apache Housing Needs Assessment

Project PROFILE

Client:
White Mountain Apache Housing Authority

Project Location:
Whiteriver, Arizona

Project Time Frame:
October 2019 – April 2020

Services:

• Household Survey

• Community Meetings

• Key Informant Interviews

• Analysis of Newly Collected Data

• Needs Assessment

• Focus Groups

Areas of Focus:

• Communications

• Demographics

• Economic Development

• Education

• Employment

• Housing

• Health

• Income and Finances

• Language and Culture

• Census Challenge

Project Description

The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) initiated the White Mountain Apache Housing Needs Assessment on behalf of the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) in order to develop forward-looking planning and program management and to identify and measure the needs of communities throughout the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. WMAHA selected Big Water Consulting to coordinate the effort and lead the project. This housing needs assessment included a household survey that collected data from 654 homes on the reservation and had an overall response rate of 97.2%.

The data collected as a part of this study showed a higher amount of need for housing than indicated by the Census data used by the IHBG formula and were used to conduct a “Census Challenge” which allowed the Tribe to replace Census data with data that they collected, resulting in substantially increased funding for the Housing Authority to help develop new housing. Big Water Consulting complied the collected data in a report that will also be used to determine the amount and type of housing that is needed in their forthcoming Apache Pines development in Hon Dah that will include both rental and homeownership units.

 

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