BUILDING A FUTURE ON ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS: Seneca Nation’s gaming Compact opened the long-closed door to home ownership possibilities on Seneca territory
ALLEGANY TERRITORY, SALAMANCA, N.Y – CATTARAUGUS TERRITORY, IRVING, N.Y. – The desire for a home of one’s own is universal. People want a place where they can live, feel safe and comfortable, and raise a family. Mortgages provide the most common path for people to realize the dream of home ownership. In fact, there are more than 83 million active mortgages in the United States today.
For the Seneca people, however, that opportunity remained out of reach for generations.
Since the Seneca Nation owns title to its lands, banks are prevented from foreclosing on or placing a lien against properties within the Nation’s sovereign territory. Without that fallback protection, banks would not grant traditional 30-year mortgages on the territory, leaving most Seneca individuals virtually no path to buying homes on the lands they call home.
“We are forever connected to our lands,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong. “For us, being at home on Seneca territory gives us a sense of identity, a sense of place and a sense of purpose.”
With mortgage opportunities essentially closed off, housing options were limited. Trailers and manufactured homes were popular, but came with exorbitant interest rates. Others were forced to look elsewhere, living in surrounding communities, but wanting to truly be at home.
“There is a real sense of frustration,” said Stephen Watt, the Seneca Nation’s Housing Director. “For so long, our people could live locally, but they couldn’t live on territory.”
In the early 2000s, however, a major change occurred.
The Nation entered into a gaming Compact in 2002, which cleared the way for the development of three Seneca casinos in Western New York. It was a historic agreement for the region, with the Nation creating thousands of local jobs and investing nearly $2 Billion to develop and operate its three world-class casino properties. The casinos have become a major economic engine, and one of the largest private employers, in Western New York.
For the Seneca people, the gaming Compact helped fuel a historic opportunity for Senecas who wanted to live on their territory.
“Just like other governments depend on tax revenue, gaming provides the critical revenue that enables our government to fund the programs and services our people need,” President Armstrong said.
One of the first major initiatives the Nation pursued once its casinos were operational was the creation of a Nation-funded mortgage program, made possible through an investment of the Nation’s gaming revenues.
The program’s first mortgage loan was made in 2005, and more than 300 mortgages have been provided since.
“Creating the mortgage program was a pivotal moment,” said Tina Becker, Mortgage Program Administrator. “We have provided mortgages to people in their early 20s all the way up to seniors, many of whom never thought they would ever realize their wish of owning a house on territory. It’s a huge psychological boost for them, and it improves the overall quality of life on our territories.”
In addition to providing mortgage loans, which are reviewed by a mortgage board, the program also provides financial literacy and education to those who are interested in qualifying for a mortgage in the future.
“We want more people to realize that owning their own home is possible, and that there is a path,” Becker said.
While the mortgage program has been a success, housing continues to be vital need, especially as the Nation’s population has grown. The Nation’s Housing Department oversees 230 homes and apartments on Nation territory, including two housing complexes for Nation Elders, low-income housing units, and new subsidized homes. However, according to Watt, overcrowding is an ongoing issue, as is the need to add more housing opportunities for low-to-medium income earners.
“On one hand, many of our people are coming back and looking at the mortgage program with hopes of building homes of their own, which was never a possibility before,” he said. “We still have unmet need and demand. As the Nation grows, our housing options need to meet that growth. We need to continue to address our housing needs, invest in our housing stock and prepare the way for every generation of Seneca, from our youth to our Elders.”
The Nation’s gaming Compact, which is set to expire in December, is central to the Nation’s ability to address those needs. The Nation is currently in negotiations with New York State on a new Compact.
“It goes beyond the jobs we provide through our casinos. Without a fair and equitable gaming Compact, we would not be able to meet the needs of our people, including the growing need for housing,” President Armstrong said. “Access to quality housing is a basic need that should not be out of reach. New York State has made housing a top priority for its residents. Our gaming Compact has allowed the Seneca Nation to begin addressing that same need for our people in a meaningful way. Our work isn’t done.”
For more information on the Seneca Nation and the importance of a fair and equitable Seneca gaming Compact, visit StandWithSeneca.com.
