Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026

This bill, titled the "Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026," reauthorizes the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) for fiscal years 2027 through 2033. Its primary purpose is to modernize and improve housing assistance programs for Native American and Native Hawaiian communities, fostering greater self-determination and addressing critical housing needs. A significant focus of the bill is the consolidation and streamlining of environmental review requirements for projects utilizing federal funds. It exempts certain activities, such as small affordable housing projects, acquisition of real property with non-federal funds, and minor rehabilitation, from environmental review. Furthermore, it removes federal flood risk management standards, provides exemptions from flood insurance requirements for tribal properties, and modifies separation distance requirements for storage tanks under specific conditions. The bill expands eligibility for housing assistance, allowing recipients to serve "essential families" and families with incomes up to 120 percent of the area median for homeownership activities, with a cap on the percentage of grant funds used for such families. It also clarifies that recipients can establish their own policies for maximum and minimum rents and homebuyer payments, promoting greater tribal flexibility. Additionally, it explicitly includes college housing assistance as an eligible activity and allows recipients to adopt their own procurement policies. To support homeownership, the bill modifies requirements for lease-to-own and homebuyer programs, particularly for existing rental families. It also exempts minor improvements to privately owned homes from long-term commitment requirements. A notable change is the extension of the maximum leasehold interest on trust or restricted lands for housing purposes from 50 years to 99 years , providing greater long-term stability for tribal housing development. The legislation also amends the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program and the Section 184A Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee program. These amendments expand eligibility to fee simple lands and introduce a direct guarantee endorsement process, allowing eligible lenders to directly endorse loans. Reporting requirements are streamlined by authorizing consolidated annual performance reports, and the timeframe for HUD reports to Congress is extended, with a new requirement for public availability. Addressing homelessness, the bill establishes a new Tribal HUD-VASH program , allocating a portion of rental assistance funds to provide housing and supportive services for homeless or at-risk Indian veterans. It also creates a Tribal Homeless Housing Assistance Grant Program for homeless American Indians and Alaska Natives and a parallel Native Hawaiian Homeless Housing Assistance Grant Program for homeless Native Hawaiians, both prioritizing homeless youth, families with children, and survivors of domestic violence. Finally, the bill enhances tribal participation in Continuum of Care programs by amending the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to include Indian tribes and tribally designated housing entities as eligible entities. It provides civil rights exemptions for tribal projects and allows for waivers to facilitate tribal involvement. A new Tribal Continuum of Care Participation Grant Program is established to provide dedicated funding for tribal entities to engage in these programs, and the bill mandates coordination between HUD and the Department of Defense to leverage the Innovative Readiness Training Program for tribal housing construction.