AKWESASNE – (Seskéh:kowa/September 2, 2025) The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Home Improvement Division is notifying Tribal members of its intent to apply for a Rural Housing Preservation Grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service. Tribal members are encouraged to review and submit comments on the proposed application narrative by September 20, 2025.
The current proposal seeks funding of $100,000 from the USDA Rural Housing Service for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Home Improvement Division to be able to carry out home rehabilitations/repairs for at least 6 (six) single-family residential homes, located on the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, over a grant term of 24 months.
Homeowner assistance will be considered upon submission of a completed application to the Home Improvement Division office. All applications will be considered, with priority given to households with very low and low incomes. Applications shall be reviewed and scored in accordance with the Home Improvement Division's existing policies and procedures for review, scoring, and prioritization. The Home Improvement Division will notify approved applicants by phone and in writing, as approvals occur.
All Environmental Tier II reviews of each home project shall comply with 7 CFR 1944.672 – 673, and are required before any work is done on a project. All approved projects shall have a Tier II review by the Tribe’s Environment Division. In addition, a walk-through home assessment, a scope of work, a project work plan, and a homeowner sign-off upon project completion shall be completed on each project.
Work will be performed primarily by the Tribe’s Home Improvement Division field staff, who, as in-house labor, are paid through Tribal General Funds on these projects. Any specialized areas of work, within projects, shall be outsourced if it is beyond the expertise of the field staff. Projects may average up to $16,500 per project, and funding for each project would go primarily to materials/supplies and, if any aspect of the work is outsourced, to vendor(s). Payment to vendors or to suppliers of materials shall be based on the Home Improvement Division following the Tribe’s existing procurement policies, procedures, and processes.
For the completion of each project, before and after pictures shall be taken, and upon completion, a review shall be done by the program to confirm that all tasks associated with the scope of work and work plan have been completed, in compliance with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) and 7 CFR 1944.689.
A copy of the application narrative is available for Tribal membership to view on the Tribal Members portal, which can be accessed from the Tribe’s website. The application narrative can also be accessed by contacting the Home Improvement Division office at (518) 358-2272.
The deadline to submit written comments regarding the proposed application narrative is Seskéh:kowa/September 20, 2025, by emailing jamiebay@srmt-nsn.gov, or by mailing or delivering them in person to:
Home Improvement Division
Ionkwakiohkwaró:ron Tribal Administration Building
71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way
Akwesasne, NY 13655
Following the review of any submitted comments, the Home Improvement Division shall have at least thirty (30) days to consider the comments received, and any adjustments to the intent, purpose, and scope of the proposal shall be made after a notification of award, and in alignment with the terms and conditions of the funding agency and award.
For more information, please contact the Home Improvement Division at (518) 358-2272.
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The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is the duly elected and federally recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.