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One of the goals in developing affordable housing in the Native American community is to provide a foundational platform that strengthens cultural connections and enhances the health and well-being of its members. Native American cultural practices guide us to engage in a relational way, to honor interconnectedness, and to respect balance. Native affordable housing communities provide spaces, programs, and partnerships that highlight the community鈥檚 strength, resilience, responsibility, and cultural connections. To have the most impact, affordable housing projects should be developed in a manner that enhances community-based engagement and that shares economic benefits, cultural empowerment, and community support.

The Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), a 501(c)(3) Native nonprofit, does just that. While serving Native Americans in Oregon and Southwest Washington, with the mission 鈥渢o enhance the diverse strengths of (its) youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education,鈥� NAYA is the leading affordable housing developer for Native people in the region.

NAYA began its journey as an affordable housing owner in 2008, when it took the lead from the former Low Income Housing for Native Americans in Portland Oregon. LIHNAPO transferred to NAYA its portfolio of properties, including Tistilal Village, which was built in 1970. Thus began NAYA鈥檚 journey into affordable housing development that has since produced more than 280 units across seven different properties. This was accomplished through the layering of tax credits, Indian Housing Block Grants, public bond dollars, traditional construction loans, grassroots fundraising, and strategic partnerships.

NAYA鈥檚 affordable housing work is guided by the NAYA Board of Directors鈥� Real Estate Committee and NAYA staff. NAYA鈥檚 work incorporates guiding principles to ensure decision-making is balanced and rooted in culture. These principles include Native culture and pride, community input, partnership, self-determination, identity and sense of belonging, stewardship, reclamation of land, fiscal responsibility and equity, support services, sustainability, economic development, and organizational/strategic priorities. Adherence to guiding principles ensures that NAYA鈥檚 work in affordable housing meets the community鈥檚 needs in ways that extend beyond providing a place to live; it includes providing support services, programming ways to connect with culture and community, incorporating Native art and design aesthetics, naming traditions that support land back, and stewarding the resources that it takes to develop a project in a way that benefits and uplifts under-resourced communities.

The recent redevelopment of Tistilal Village is a great example of NAYA鈥檚 guiding principles in action. In partnering with Colas Construction as general contractor for the project, NAYA recognized the importance of shared values, shared histories, and shared economic prosperity. Colas Construction is the largest Black-owned general contractor in the region and has family connections to the Portsmouth neighborhood where Tistilal Village is located. NAYA recognized that with the right partner, the redevelopment of Tistilal Village had the opportunity to empower our community through thoughtful engagement and to invest in the economic development of marginalized communities. In viewing the project as an interconnected part of our shared experience and making decisions based on the guiding principles, the Tistilal Village reconstruction project provided opportunities for new contractors to grow.

Andrew Colas, CEO of Colas Construction, provided this example from the project: 鈥淲e look to extend economic opportunities to historically excluded businesses and when you are able to partner with an organization like NAYA where this is also part of their mission, it鈥檚 not just about what Colas Construction wants to do but what we all want to do, which makes it exciting. One of our subs was The Electric Company, and as a newer company, this was the largest project that they had completed to date. Certain owners would see using a newer company as a big risk, but NAYA felt just the opposite 鈥� they were excited to include The Electric Company and saw it as an opportunity for that company to grow. The Electric Company did great on the project and (has) since added two new projects of similar size.聽So, working on Tistilal Village has essentially changed the trajectory of this company in a really positive way.鈥�

As a construction attorney in the industry for over 15 years in both the private and public sectors, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to engage in new ways of building projects that intentionally focus on values like NAYA鈥檚 guiding principles. But it can also be invigorating. Inclusive/equitable contracting is one way of advancing the principles of partnership, fiscal responsibility and equity, economic development, and stewardship. Using inclusive/equitable contracting practices ensures that construction projects become investments in communities, as opposed to simply transactions, and it requires a curious, humble, and self-reflective approach to identify barriers and obstacles that may impact businesses built in marginalized communities. Access and opportunity are key components, and genuine efforts require deep understanding and mitigation of the disparities created by systems.

The work of inclusive/equitable contracting can occur during the request for proposals stage, in the interviewing and scoring process, during contract negotiations, and even when issues arise during a project. Not all clients are ready for this approach, and it takes a certain amount of courage to be adaptable and open to assuming more risk. Working with a trusted partner and having deep genuine relationships that are built on more than just a single project can make all the difference. Understanding true risk versus assumption or bias is another way to open the door to an alternative approach.

Molly Washington (N鈥檇ee/Apache) is the owner and Ya鈥� it膮h鈥� (holder/steward) of N鈥檇ee Law LLC, a state-certified Native-owned, minority-owned, woman-owned, emerging small business law firm. Contact her at 503-577-8411 or [email protected].

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 91视频 guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

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