As of December 1, 2024, MHP staff has begun the closeout process for their partnership with the Santo Domingo Tribal Authority (SDTHA). The Santo Domingo Pueblo, known as Khe-wa to its residents, is located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, along the Rio Grande. Recognized for its rich traditions, many community members still speak Keresan, along with English and some Spanish. With over 5,000 enrolled members, the Pueblo has a variety of departments providing services to its residents. 

The SDTHA, established in 1995, focuses on affordable housing development for the community. They aim to provide safe, sustainable, and culturally appropriate housing that supports traditional family values and self-sufficiency. SDTHA has implemented a master plan that integrates affordable housing with economic development and infrastructure improvements. 

After facing significant organizational challenges, including management issues and financial shortfalls identified in a 2019 HUD-ONAP monitoring review, along with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, MHP assisted the SDTHA with overhauling its staff and operations. MHP improved the SDTHA’s internal capacity and secured funding for new housing development projects. This support included the creation and updating of internal policies, resolving its monitoring findings with HUD-SWONAP (Southwest Office of Native American Programs), strategic organizational planning, and a Housing Needs Assessment. 

Additionally, MHP assisted the SDTHA with grant writing for the Competitive Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) using resources from MHP’s Strengthening Rural Communities Grant (SRCG). Although the application scored well, it resulted in a tie with several other applicants and did not receive funding. Fortunately, due to the strong score of the application and overall improvements, the SDTHA is now well-positioned to apply for both the IHBG and the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG). This will allow them to continue planning for projects that had been on hold due to monitoring issues.