A Chickasaw Nation program that has provided more than $19.3 million in home loans to 218 families in a dozen states was recently named as one of 16 finalists for Harvard's American Indian Tribal Governance Awards.
Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government chose the finalists from outstanding examples of tribal governance among the more than 550 Indian nations in the U.S. Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations selects programs based on significance, effectiveness, creativity and sustainability.
"Honoring Nations is grounded in and inspired by the Harvard Project's more than 17 years of research and fieldwork, which consistently finds that tribal success in economic, social, and cultural spheres depends, to a large extent, on tribes' ability to function as self-governing political entities," said Andrew Lee, Director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said it is a "great honor" for the program to be chosen.
"Homeownership is a very high priority for our administration, and this type of recognition helps reinforce our conviction that we are offering the kind of services that will enable all Chickasaw citizens to meet their housing needs," said Gov. Anoatubby.
The Chuka Chukmasi (Beautiful Home) loan program was initiated in 1998 to provide low down payment, flexible home loans for Chickasaws.
A partnership formed in 2002 enables the tribe to offer its mortgage program through Fannie Mae's Desktop Originator on the Web, expanding services to Chickasaw citizens across the United States.
The Web based system enables applicants to proceed through the mortgage loan process faster and more efficiently, resulting in a greater number of home loans issued.
"We are really excited about the success of the program," said Wayne Scribner, Administrator for the Chickasaw Nation Division of Housing. "The number of families who have realized the dream of home ownership through this program is outstanding."
Another important part of the program is the pre-homeownership counseling provided to families purchasing a home.
Most people learn about Fannie Mae, mortgage applications, abstracts, title searches, title insurance, closing costs, and a host of other things while they are in the process of buying their first home. Dealing with this information overload can turn what should be a pleasant experience into a time of confusion and frustration.
The pre-homeownership counseling helps to relieve some of that frustration and confusion first time home buyers often face by helping people understand the home buying and home owning experience before they buy.
The pre-home ownership seminar began as a way to help buyers fulfill the counseling requirements of Chuka Chukmasi program, but it is also open to anyone interested in making a more informed home buying decision.
"The seminars are open to the public," said Kay Perry, director of counseling and loan services with the Chickasaw Nation. "Anyone can come, and since we are a HUD recognized counseling entity, we issue a certificate that can be used for any special home buyer program at any bank."
A total of 475 counseling certificates have been awarded through the program.
The tribe also offers low income home ownership programs, rental assistance, home maintenance and repair, low income home energy assistance, emergency housing assistance and a retirement village.
