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HUD MARKS AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE MONTH

Native youth to be highlighted during November and later this month at HUD

WASHINGTON, DC – November 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is marking the occasion by focusing particular attention on the nearly 1.7 million American Indian and Alaska Native young people. HUD’s Office of Native American Programs has worked with the group of leading national American Indian and Alaska Native organizations who have collaborated with tribal and federal government offices to mark the month with special programs and festivities.

“Native American Youth – Our Most Precious Resource,” is the national theme of the month, and HUD will mark it with an event on Wednesday, November 30, at 11 a.m. its Washington headquarters. Ms. Derrith Watchman-Moore, HUD Region VII Administrator, will be the main speaker. Also invited are Mellor Willie, the Executive Director of the National American Indian Housing Council; and speakers from the Penobscot Nation Native Boys and Girls Club and the Center on Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute. The program will be emceed by Julie Potter, an intern from the Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) Program at American University who produced a documentary about the impact of housing on Indian reservations. Her tribe is the Eastern Band of the Cherokee located in Cherokee, North Carolina.

“HUD is honored to help mark November as a time to reflect on our Native youth and how the generations of future leaders can help tribal communities keep moving forward on everything from housing to education, thanks to their tribal leadership and their proud legacies,” said Rodger Boyd, HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Native American Programs.

Young people under the age of 18 are a growing share of America’s Native population, accounting for nearly 32 percent of the 5.2 million American Indian and Alaska Natives (2010 Census data). It’s expected the growing Native youth population that will be more active in the nation’s workforce, higher education and among the electorate.

Heritage Month 2011 will focus on Native youth living in both rural and urban communities. The group of participating Native organizations includes the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute; National American Indian Housing Council(NAIHC); Native American Contractors Association; National Congress of American Indians(NCAI); National Council of Urban Indian Health(NCUIH); and the Washington Internships for Native Students(WINS) – American University.

Numerous educational events are planned throughout Washington, DC during the month. For a list of these events and for a national calendar of events, visit the website:www.AIANHeritageMonth.org

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HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
HUD is working to
strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the
need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build
inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at
www.hud.gov and
http://espanol.hud.gov
. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at
www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s News Listserv.

Contact:
Elena Gaona
(202) 708-0685

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development, and enforces the nation’s fair housing laws.

Contact:

Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685