Coalition of Indian Housing Authorities in North Dakota (CIHAND) was established in 2002 in response to 1) the overwhelming unmet need for housing in rural tribal and areas containing high Native American populations; 2) housing authorities not receiving state housing related resources due to invisibility, lack of information, and poor resource agency coordination; and 3) lack of resources for training to create housing professionals. Based upon these reasons, CIHAND set about to organize and became a non-profit 501 c (3) organization and to date is comprised of the five tribal housing entities: Spirit Lake Housing Authority, Dakota Nation Housing Development Corporation, Standing Rock Housing Authority, Fort Berthold Housing Authority, and Turtle Mountain Housing Authority.
CIHAND began the work and is still working on removing the cloak of invisibility that surrounds tribes and their tribal needs by working in a concerted effort to coordinate information and involvement with state and federal agencies. As a result, tribes are participating in decision making, thereby greatly improving the housing relationship between tribes and state entities.
CIHAND designs and sponsors quarterly trainings for all tribal staff with a special emphasis on providing opportunities to develop housing professionals. For each training, participants receive certificates and in some cases certification, and are able to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). In addition, CIHAND sponsors an annual Conference, and this year will be our 7th, bringing together national leaders, professionals and recognized experts in the field of housing and development. Please view the CIHAND Training Opportunities and CIHAND Conference pages for more information.