About the Network
The Native HUD Housing Counseling Network is the only housing counseling network dedicated exclusively to creating Native homeowners. The Network was established in 2018 and includes Native-led and Native-serving organizations stretching from Hawaii to Maine. The Network became a certified housing counseling agency by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2021.
Within their first year of collaboration, the Network has provided homebuyer education and housing counseling to over 1,000 families, helping create a movement toward homeownership in Native communities.
Native Counselors for Native Homeownership
Oweesta saw the growing need to help Native CDFIs expand their housing counseling capabilities following a survey. Only 53% of Native Americans are homeowners compared to the 71% of white households who own homes. Disparities in access to mortgage capital, the shortage of affordable homes on Native lands, and other barriers have continued to stall homeownership opportunities for Native families.
The Network was established with the goal of organizing, training, and certifying a new cohort of housing counselors living in and advancing Indian Country. Housing counselors help households address their financial situation and avoid deepening financial pitfalls through technical assistance, homebuyer education and counseling, housing loans, and, in some cases, construction services.
The Network services families on reservations, tribal lands, and in urban areas. Find a member near you.
Join the Network
To join the Network, contact Sayre Savage at sayre@oweesta.org.
