![]() Plans are advancing for the construction of two dozen new housing units that will be a part of the ancient Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico. The project has now received $7.5 million in funding out of Washington in the form of an Indian Housing Block grant awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Officials with the Taos Pueblo, which has a population of around 4,500 people, have for some time been wanting to build more affordable housing in an area located roughly one mile to the north of the city of Taos. In a statement, Gary Lujan, president of the Taos Pueblo, said the funding will allow the historic community to "enter into housing construction, providing homes for those most in need, while continuing our work to assure that all tribal members have safe, affordable quality housing." Sitting on some 95,000 acres of tribal land, the Taos Pueblo is economically challenged, with upwards of 40% of its population living under the federal poverty line. The new federal funding is being seen not just as a needed shot in the arm spurring new home development, but also a means of creating "financial stability and generational wealth," according to New Mexico Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez. In a press release, Fernandez added that the secured federal funding "will make that a reality for Taos Pueblo families." Three years ago, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Taos Pueblo Housing Authority just under $900,000 for the rehabilitation of five housing units. By Garry Boulard
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