Oklahoma Tribes Get Grants For Homeless Veterans

Federal agencies awarded grants to 26 tribes to offer help for Native American veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.  The Veterans Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are awarding $5.9 million - some of that to Oklahoma tribes.

The agencies will work in partnership to provide the housing assistance, according to Cherokee Nation Housing Authority Executive Director Gary Cooper.

"The VA is the agency that really has to step up and identify who those folks are that are eligible for assistance," Cooper said. "Housing steps in right along with them in a partnership to provide rental assistance dollars."

In Oklahoma, the following grants are being awarded:  

• Cherokee Nation received $194,405
• Choctaw Nation $246,992 
• Osage Nation: $265,438 
• Muscogee (Creek) Nation: $216,566
• Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes: $272,016

The grants are to provide each nation with funds for housing 20 veterans, according to a news release.