Peoria Tribe: Housing Authority - 2010 Project

NOTE: Project pages are being updated regularly to reflect changes, if any; however, some of the information may be dated.

Summary

The Housing Authority of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (Peoria Housing Authority or PHA) will conduct the "PHA Weatherization Training Project." This project will allow the PHA to build the skills and capabilities necessary to establish and implement a weatherization program by developing human capacity. This project will promote tribal energy efficiency and also foster employment and economic development. The project will position the PHA to provide weatherization services to its tribal governments, their tribal members, neighboring tribal governments, the members of neighboring tribes, and other individuals and organizations.

Project Description

Background

The PHA is the Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE) for both the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (Peoria Tribe) and the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma (Ottawa Tribe). The PHA is committed to reducing the use of nonrenewable energy and carbon emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, conserving natural resources overall, and leading by example to encourage others to do the same. The PHA has identified several energy efficiency goals, including conversion of PHA vehicles to dual-fuel capability and building low-energy-consumption housing units. The PHA goal relevant to this project is the establishment and implementation of a successful weatherization program by 2011. The PHA Weatherization Training Project is designed to enable fulfillment of the PHA's goal. Indeed, the most important component of establishing and implementing a weatherization program is the acquisition of quality training for PHA program managers and technicians.

Project Objectives

The Weatherization Training Project's goal is thus to obtain a solid foundation of administrative and technical knowledge so that the PHA can establish and implement a successful weatherization program by 2011. The Weatherization Training Project's two objectives are to (1) build PHA's capabilities by (2) developing its staff members' capacities via the acquisition of weatherization skills and competencies.

Impacts anticipated from this project include:

1. the improvement and expansion of PHA staff skills
2. the overall enhancement of the quality of the PHA workforce, which will foster employment
3. the ability to properly weatherize PHA housing stock, tribal buildings, and tribal members' houses, which will result in reduced energy use
4. improved tribal and household economies.

Long-term impacts anticipated from this project include the improvement and expansion of PHA staff skills, which will result in the overall enhancement of the quality of the PHA workforce and foster employment. In addition, the ability to properly weatherize PHA housing stock, tribal buildings, and tribal members' houses will reduce energy use and improve tribal and household economies.

Project Location

The Weatherization Training Project will be administered at PHA headquarters in Miami, Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The PHA serves Peoria, Ottawa, and other eligible American Indian residents of Ottawa and Delaware counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Eleven tribes are located in Ottawa and Delaware counties, the single highest concentration of tribes in the lower 48 states.

Project Status

The project is complete. For details, see the final report.

The project was competitively selected under the Tribal Energy Program's fiscal year 2009 funding opportunity announcement, "First Steps Toward Tribal Weatherization — Human Capacity Development," and started in January 2010.

The November 2009  and October 2010 project status reports provide more information.