SCCHO partners with tribal housing authority
The Sanders County Community Housing Organization has entered into a "mentoring" relationship with the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Housing Authority, an important step toward Community Housing Development Organization certification and opening doors for low-income Sanders County residents. SCCHO was founded in 2003 and obtained IRS tax exempt status in 2006. The organization's goal, according to executive director Nancy Combs, is to promote the availability of affordable housing for low to moderate income residents of Sanders County.
As part of an agreement between the two entities, the Salish-Kootenai Housing Authority will offer training and advice to Combs - a requirement of obtaining CHDO certification.
"The SKHA has a lot to offer our organization in terms of experience developing affordable housing," said Combs. Combs said certification is a requirement for obtaining certain funds through the Housing and Urban Development program.
The partnership between the two organizations was the result of a November meeting between Combs and SKHA executive director Jason Adams at an intergovernmental meeting of the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council and the Sanders County Commission.
Adams said the two talked about their respective affordable housing groups and decided the experience and connections of SKHA - founded in 1963 - could benefit the newly-formed SCCHO.
"This would not have come about except that the Sanders County commissioners took the opportunity to get to interact with the Tribe through the intergovernmental meeting," said Combs. Adams said he and Combs have met several times to finalize the agreement between the organizations, and SKHA and SCCHO will continue collaborating once the CHDO certification process is complete. "It's really going to be on an as-needed basis," said Adams, noting that SCCHO will be able to get information from and ask questions of him and his staff members on low income housing tax credit funding, grants and other aspects of low-income housing.
"I think it will be a significant benefit to the low-income families in Sanders County," said Adams. He said his organization is eager to "share the expertise we've gained over the years."
Combs added that SCCHO has recruited Julie Molzhon, a Trout Creek Forest Service employee, to be on the group's board this year, and one of the housing organization's future projects will be pursuing a partnership with the Forest Service to create work force housing for certain employees.