California is cutting sizable checks to Indigenous communities across the state, sending nearly $30 million to help reduce homelessness and get new housing off the ground. The Department of Housing and Community Development has conditionally earmarked $28.5 million through its Tribal Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention program, money that will be split among 68 federally recognized tribes. Tribal leaders say the influx will support culturally tailored interim shelters and housing services, and a handful of tribal-led developments are already stacking up multiple state awards as officials try to blend behavioral-health funding with housing for residents with the highest needs.
State-issued conditional awards
According to the notice of conditional awards, HCD spread the $28.5 million across 68 tribal applicants using a mix of base awards and proportional allocations tied to need, and the agency reported that requests far outstripped available funding. HCD also said it will work with tribes to revise budgets and nail down final amounts before any money actually goes out the door, per the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Tribes say funds will support culturally specific shelter
Acting Chairwoman Angela Elliott Santos of the Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation said the Tribal HHAP award will help her tribe offer interim shelter that is both safe and culturally supportive for people experiencing homelessness. Gov. Gavin Newsom framed the funding as part of a "government-to-government approach" that tries to respect tribal sovereignty while taking aim at historic inequities, comments reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Kashia Windsor project drawing state backing
One of the highest-profile efforts is the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians’ planned "Kashia Windsor" project at 10221 Old Redwood Highway, a 54-unit affordable housing development that will also include mixed-use tribal offices and community space. The project has already secured a $19.9 million award through the state’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, and town filings detail the site layout, unit mix and office plans, according to Town of Windsor project documents.
Funded by Proposition 1 and other state streams
The tribal awards are rolling out alongside funding tied to Proposition 1 and related Homekey efforts that aim behavioral-health bond dollars at supportive housing and treatment settings. Voters signed off on Proposition 1 in March 2024, and state officials say its bond structure and program rules are designed so tribes and local governments can braid different funding streams for housing and behavioral-health services.
For now, HCD’s conditional awards are just the opening chapter. Tribes still have to submit revised budgets and finalize agreements before funds are released, and tribal leaders and advocates caution that the money, while modest compared with the scale of need, could still seed projects that keep people off the street and do it in ways that honor tribal sovereignty and cultural practice.
