LAWTON, Okla. (December 20, 2021) – Comanche Nation Housing Authority (CNHA) closed on a record-breaking 15 homes in 2021, giving 15 Southwest Oklahoma families the opportunity to become homeowners as part of the organization’s homeownership lease purchase program. The organization has been serving enrolled members of the Comanche Nation for more than 60 years. In that time, CNHA has provided more than 850 homes to Tribal members and has placed an average of four families per year in its lease purchase program.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to help additional families on a path to homeownership, especially given the financial hardships so many people have had to overcome throughout the past couple of years,” said Russell Sossamon, executive director of CNHA, a Southwest Oklahoma organization that provides rental and housing assistance to low-income enrolled tribal members of the Comanche Nation.
CNHA received a one-time federal grant of $1.5 million for 2021 under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), all of which went to purchasing homes in the southwest counties of Oklahoma. The organization also recently received a federal grant of $5 million from the Indian Housing Block Grant Competitive program. This additional funding will allow CNHA to continue its homeownership lease purchase program and provide 10 families with homes each year through 2025, more than doubling its annual average.
“There is a huge demand for our services in Southwest Oklahoma,” Sossamon said. “Our lease-to-own program provides the means for low-income families to overcome their credit issues and financial obstacles and become homeowners.”
CNHA’s homeownership lease purchase program is a lease-to-own program that provides low-income enrolled tribal members of the Comanche Nation the opportunity to acquire homeownership in five counties across Southwest Oklahoma, including Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Kiowa and Tillman. Unlike conventional homeownership programs, CNHA’s program does not require families to meet standard credit score requirements or make a down payment.
CNHA also subsidizes the cost of the home by deducting $50,000 from the final sale price, regardless of the price of the home. “We also pay all insurance and taxes associated with the property and do not charge interest. This program truly is a game-changer for low-income families who want to become homeowners,” Sossamon said.
Those who meet the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) low-income requirements can join CNHA’s waiting list to participate. There are nearly 100 families currently on the waiting list to join the lease-to-own program.
To learn more about the program’s requirements or to inquire about joining the waiting list, visit www.comanchehousing.com.
ABOUT COMANCHE NATION HOUSING AUTHORITY
The Comanche Nation Housing Authority (CNHA) provides rental and housing assistance to low-income enrolled members of the Comanche Nation through a number of its service programs, including the down payment and closing cost grant, elder home rehabilitation program, rental program, student housing program, homeownership lease purchase program and CNHA emergency home repair program (HIP). CNHA currently operates in five counties – Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Kiowa and Tillman for most programs. For more information about program requirements and low-income guidelines, call 580-357-4956 or visit www.comanchehousing.com.
