Covid-19 Resources: Rural & Native American Program

Updated December 29, 2020

Enterprise cares deeply about our rural and native partners and the communities they serve. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the Rural and Native team is working hand in hand with local and national housing providers, housing agencies, advocates and philanthropy to respond to the crisis and the needs of our rural communities. We will be providing regular updates on resources for residents and housing providers on this page. You can also follow Enterprise’s list of national resources and federal policy response or reach out to our team directly if there is a way that we can support and advocate for the important work you’re doing in this unprecedented time.

Webinars and Conversations

Responding to the Housing Challenges Posed by the Pandemic
The Responding to COVID-19 webinar series presents COVID-19 pandemic resources for small units of general local government (UGLGs). Specifically, the webinars provide digestible information on how small UGLGs may access public funding, data, and other resources made available due to the pandemic. 

The webinar series consists of a total of six sessions spread across three topic areas: housing, health, and economic development. Each topic area consists of two webinar sessions. Included here is the first session.

Covid-19 Fact vs. Fiction, Health and Housing in Indian Country - Webinar Recording
The Rural and Native Program team hosted a webinar for Native American and Tribal partners who are facing questions about the crisis and Native communities. This webinar provided information and tools to help navigate these uncertain times.

Indigenous Tribal Housing experts present on specialized topics and provide tools to help navigate through these uncertain times.

Resources from Impacts of Coronavirus Crisis on Coloradans Webinar Briefing Recording

Multifamily Building Owners

• USDA Coronavirus response page
• USDA factsheet: Immediate Opportunities for RD Customers Impacted by Covid-19
• Housing Assistance Council’s Resource Page for Coronavirus and Rural Housing
• Covid-19 FAQs for the Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) (including the Project-based Voucher Program (PBV)) and Native American Programs
• HUD ONAP Covid-19 FAQs for Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs)
• The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Guidance for Multifamily Owners and Stakeholders
• Coronavirus resources for apartment firms from the National Multifamily Housing Council
• Federal Eviction Moratorium Summary from the National Housing Law Project
• Property Management, Resident Communication guides from Enterprise
• Preventing the Spread of Covid-19 in Retirement Communities from the CDC
• CDPHE Environmental Cleaning Guidance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Pandemic Guide for Real Estate Managers from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM)
• HUD’s Covid Response
• Fannie Mae Disaster Recovery Network
• USDA has a new site “Meals for Kids”. This is an interactive map that directs people to local sites where kids can get free meals. The site finder currently lists more than 20,000 meal sites from 23 states, and more sites will be added as states submit data each week. The map is available in both English and Spanish at www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids

Native/Tribal Communities

HUD is waiving and establishing alternative requirements for numerous statutory and regulatory requirements for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program and the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program. These waivers provide administrative flexibilities and relief to Indian tribes and tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

HUD published the allocations for IHBG funding under the CARES Act (IHBG-CARES funding)

• The CDC Doesn't Know Enough About Coronavirus In Tribal Nations: Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, reporter and managing editor of Indian Country Today, explains why the CDC data is so limited in scope — and her efforts to bring more data transparency to the table.
• Center for Indian Country Development Covid-19 resource page
• National American Indian Housing Council Covid-19 Resource Page includes sample documents to assist tribal housing organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The NDN Covid-19 Response Project
• Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation
• Indigenous Children, Survivance, and the Times We Are In
• A Moment of Mindfulness with MBE: Mindful Eating
• Covid-19 Cases by Indian Health Services Area
• State of New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Tribal Response Plan Covid 19
• The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development
• IHS Announces Determination of $30 Million for Urban Indian Health of the $1.032 Billion from CARES Act
• A Disaster Resources Report (pdf) with a combination of events, webinars, grants and workshops
• Coronavirus in Indian Country Latest Case Counts from the UCLA American Indian Studies Center

Service and Shelter Providers

• Covid-19 guidance for home health care providers from The Centers for Disease Control
• Homelessness resources from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council
• Interim Guidance for homeless shelters from the Centers for Disease Control
• Resources and Guidance for Supportive Housing Providers from the Corporation for Supportive Housing

Financial Aid Resources for Nonprofits and Small Businesses

• USDA Implements Immediate Measures to Help Rural Residents, Businesses and Communities Affected by COVID-19 : USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Rural Development will keep our customers, partners and stakeholders continuously updated as more actions are taken to better serve rural America. 
• Apply for the new Paycheck Protection Program from the Small Business Administration
• Analysis of the new federal Paycheck Protection Program from CohnReznick
• Summary of the CARES Act’s Small Business Loan Provisions from Miles & Stockbridge
• State by state economic development resources from the State Economic Development Executives (SEDE) Network
• Nonprofit Finance Fund Covid-19 Tools and Resources for Nonprofits
• National Council of Nonprofits: Nonprofits and Coronavirus, Covid-19
• Coronavirus (Covid-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
• Rural Development’s Covid-19 webpage has stakeholder notifications and services for RD customers impacted by Covid-19

Resources for Housing Counselors and Homeownership Programs

• HUD has partnered with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to produce a "What You Need To Know: Mortgage Forbearance" video to educate consumers who may have difficulty making on-time mortgage payments due to the national Covid-19 emergency.
• Guide to coronavirus mortgage relief options from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• What is mortgage forbearance? From the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Mortgage Help for Homeowners Impacted by the Coronavirus from the Federal Housing Finance Agency
• Additional guidance for owners and partners to mitigate spread of Covid

Other

• COVID-19 cases surpass 2.2 million in rural America: HAC’s most recent data analysis shows that, as of December 3, there were more than 2.2 million reported cases of COVID-19 and approximately 38,000 associated deaths in rural America.
• Covid-19's impact on the Native American community from The Hill
• This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land—Covid-19’s Impact on Indian Country from Archinect
• iPad Distribution: Apple program for students and communities that need computers
• Access to Internet Several internet providers are offering free wifi around the nation.
• Food Security issues: National Hunger hotline up to date list of all pantries and kitchens
• Fannie Mae Multifamily Flyer
• USDA Announces Details of Direct Assistance to Farmers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program: Farmers and Ranchers to Receive Direct Support for Losses Related to Covid-19