Copyright © 2003 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Ed and Kay Trottingwolf recently moved into their new Title VI home built for them by the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation

BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA - The sun is beating down outside, but Ed and Kay Trottingwolf, of Bartlesville, sit nice and cool in the living room of their new home. The Trottingwolf’s are one of the first participants in the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation’s (HACN) new Title VI program.

Ed and Kay Trottingwolf recently moved into their new Title VI home built for them by the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation. They initially applied for housing assistance through the HACN on July 20, 2002, and had lived for number of years in a one-bedroom house on the outside of the Bartlesville area.

On July 2, 2003, their new two-bedroom home was completed under the HACN’s Title VI Program.

"We never thought we would get our home so soon", Ed Trottingwolf said.

"It’s nice and cool and then warm when you need it to be", added Kay Trottingwolf.

"I grew up in a log cabin", said Ed Trottingwolf. "The second log cabin I got to see it get built, got to watch them bring in the timbers by a horse drawn cart. I watched them notch and set the logs."

The Trottingwolf’s grew up in the rural area outside Bartlesville. They met playing softball. They have five grown children and nine grandchildren. He has a business called Trottingwolf Sign Shop, in Dewey and has been in business since 1970. He prints t-shirts, cuts signs and hand prints signs for just about everything. He has already custom painted their mailbox.

In addition, the Trottingwolf’s enjoy gospel singing. He grew up singing in his father’s group, called the Bird Points. He now sings with his children in their group called, the Trottingwolf Singers.

"We get invited to go all over", said Ed Trottingwolf. "We go up north to Crow Reservation about once a year to do gospel singing."

"I know a few words of Cherokee, my family spoke, but it’s hard to keep them because there’s not a lot of speakers up here", said Ed Trottingwolf. "This housing program is good, because Cherokees are trying to step their people up so they can live like the other people, with better opportunities to live in a nice place like this."

The Title VI Loan Guarantee program is for Native Americans and the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation gives Cherokee and handicapped or disabled preference. The family’s income must be within the Title VI Program income limits of 50 to 80 percent of the National Median Income, which for a family of four would be $28,250 to $45,200.

Title VI applications are reviewed for credit worthiness and participants must agree to a 4 percent loan for 30 years with zero down and no out of pocket expenses or closing costs. Underwriting criteria will require the family to be able and willing to repay the debt within the loan agreement. The mortgage payment will include the home, land, taxes, and insurance. The applicants must be credit worthy, and the home must be their primary residence. Families will be required to select housing they can afford.

For more information or to apply for housing assistance in the Washington County area, contact the HACN Bartlesville Area 7 field office, phone: (918) 336-7830, or the HACN Area 7 office in Owasso, serving Tulsa and Washington counties, phone: (918) 274-3941. For housing assistance in Cherokee county contact the HACN Area 1 office, phone: (918) 456-8374 or (800) 837-2869 toll free. For housing assistance in Adair County contact the HACN Area 2 Office, phone: (918) 696-2055 or (888) 314-6878 toll free. For housing assistance in McIntosh, Muskogee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties contact the HACN Area 3 office, phone: (918) 774-0922 or (866) 775-1115 toll free. For housing assistance in Delaware and Ottawa counties contact the HACN Area 4 office, phone: (918) 253-8315 or (800) 250-6661 toll free. For housing assistance in Craig and Mayes counties contact the HACN Area 5 office, phone: (918) 479-5128 or (888) 354-8021 toll free. For housing assistance in Nowata and Rogers counties contact the HACN Area 6 office, phone: (918) 342-2433 or (866) 342-2433 toll free. The HACN Customer Service office can be reached, phone: (888) 565-3242, info@hacn.net, or go to the HACN web site.

Related contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org