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(Left) Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, Resco President Ron Smith, HACN Executive Director Ron Qualls, HACN Planner Ron Froman, HUD Southern Plains Office for Native American Programs Administrator Wayne Sims, BancFirst Branch of Jenks President Chris Smith, HACN Commissioner Billy Heath, HACN Commissioner Mary Adair, District 5 Tribal Council member Melvina Shotpouch, District 5 Tribal Council member Barbara Starr-Scott, and District 6 Tribal Council member Stephanie Wickliffe-Shepherd.

JAY, OKLAHOMA - The Cherokee Nation conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jay Senior Housing Development. The new development will be constructed North of Sam Hider Community Clinic, located at 1015 Washbourne, in Jay.

"I am proud that construction on this facility is under way", said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "This project shows how the Cherokee Nation is strategically planning what we do."

This development was made possible by tax credits form the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. "The tax credits will allow us to bring $1,875,000 of private monies into this $3 million development", said Ron Qualls, Executive Director of the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority. According to Qualls, this is the first time in Oklahoma that an Indian Tribe has accessed this program through the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.

The completion date is scheduled for July 2002. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply for pre-qualification and be place on a waiting list. Eligibility requirements include income limits and age. All applicants must be 62 or older. Rents will range form $275-$300 per unit and will be subsidized through Section 8 or the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation Rental Assistance Program for Cherokee people. All units will be handicapped equipped.

For more information contact the Housing Authority Office of the Cherokee Nation in Jay at 109 13th St, or call 918-253-8315.