Thanks to the generous donations of various charitable organizations and many individuals across the country, the United Houma Nation Tribal Council has set aside $100,000 to award mini-grants to tribal families who are most in need of assistance. Tribal leadership is well aware that there are hundreds of tribal families along multiple bayous who are still waiting for FEMA trailers, uninsured or underinsured, and/or struggling with elevated costs to rebuild. At this point the Tribal Council has designated 100 – $1,000 mini-grants to help homeowners with filling in the gaps.
The below linked form is intended to help our Case Management staff evaluate household priorities as unfortunately we anticipate receiving more applications than we actually have initial funds. Please do not be disheartened. If you are an impacted tribal family with needs as a results of Hurricane Ida please apply as we anticipate an additional release of resources. We are looking for this release to help individuals who are falling in the cracks and need some immediate support. Also the more we are able to share with our funders about your needs we are able to advocate for additional funding that we can pinpoint more specifically towards long-term recovery needs at 1-year post Hurricane Ida landfall.
WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE WITH MINI-GRANTS?
This round of mini-grants is specifically earmarked for assisting families with rebuilding needs. Funds must be used towards the purchase or contracting of a service that will assist the family with securing their home closer to livable conditions. Typical spending would be purchasing building materials, contractor services, deposits for the home, furniture and appliance essentials, etc. Funding cannot be used to pay rent, utility bills, recreational items, vehicles, etc. Funding will not be provided directly to the applicant. Applicants awarded mini-grants will identify spending for the mini-grant and the UHN will procure the items directly.
WHEN ARE THE QUESTIONNAIRES/APPLICATIONS DUE?
For this initial round of funding, the deadline to return the 2-page form to the Houma Office is Friday, August 19, 2022. We will continue to accept applications after that date; however, priority will be for those who have met the deadline.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY QUESTIONNAIRE/APPLICATION AFTER I SUBMIT IT?
The UHN Case Management staff will review all questionnaires and calculate the household score based upon a pre-identified point system that takes into consideration family size, condition of the home/severity of the damage, family living conditions and ability to live in home, age and disability, as well as total resources received in comparison to actual damages. Families will be sorted by tribal district and ranked by points for review of selection. Case Managers may also reach out to get additional information and check in to discuss your needs and determine if there are any additional unmet needs beyond this mini-grant that we may be able to help connect you with such as disaster legal assistance to file a FEMA appeal or other referrals from our partner organizations.
The UHN Tribal Security Committee will be consulted on the final selection of the 100 families. Applicants are sorted by tribal district to ensure there is equal representation of tribal district in the selection process. Written notice will be sent to all selected applicants notifying them of their award and next steps. Any applicant not selected will be notified in writing that they were not selected in the initial round of funding, but the application will be kept on file for any future funding and will not need to reapply unless otherwise notified.
WHY DO YOU ASK ABOUT IMPACTS TO FISHERMEN/WOMEN?
Tribal leaders are also looking at the special needs of tribal commercial tribal fishermen and women and when resources become available, we don’t want to have to wait to move forward with reaching out. Impacted tribal fishermen and women are encouraged to complete the initial questionnaire/application as well so that Tribal Administration has the most information necessary to address these unique needs.
Here is the cover information letter and the questionnaire/application for your convenience to complete and return. UHN Questionnaire and MiniGrant Application Fillable