A major new housing initiative on the Vermilion Reservation could bring hundreds of Bois Forte band members back to the area, beginning as soon as next year.

The project, a combination of duplexes and single family home sites, is moving ahead with help from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, USDA’s Rural Development, and the Army Corps. of Engineers.

Two million dollars in HUD funds were approved this past summer, while $3 million in grants and loans from Rural Development were approved last month. The $3 million check was presented to tribal officials on Thursday. An additional $400,000 in Army Corps funding rounded out the federal dollars for the project.

The HUD dollars will fund construction of eight duplexes, while the Rural Development and Army Corps money will cover the cost of increasing capacity at the band’s sewage ponds, as well as installing water and sewer for the duplexes and a total of 78 single family home sites.

The expansion in reservation housing is needed, say tribal officials, because expanding job opportunities on the reservation are encouraging more band members to return. “We need it,” said Bois Forte Housing Commissioner Carol Burr. “We have many band members who’ve come back to work at Fortune Bay, but we’ve had no place for them to live.”

The new housing, along with the expansion of health care and wellness services on the Vermilion Reservation, will soon enhance life at the growing community, said Burr. And a long list of band members are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to return. “Nearly sixty families are on the waiting list,” said Burr. “And we’re expecting families with kids,” she added, noting that the influx should help area schools and businesses alike.

Tribal officials expect to break ground on eight duplexes (with a total of 16 two-and-three-bedroom units) in the spring, and units will be available for rental once completed.

Work on overall infrastructure will also start in the spring, said Burr. The single family homes sites will be leased to band members for construction of privately-owned homes. “We’re really pushing home ownership for band members,” said Burr. Some guaranteed loan programs, such as one offered through the Minnesota Chippewa Tribes, now make it quite easy for band members to obtain mortgage financing, she said.

While development of all 78 single family home sites won’t happen overnight, given the backlog of demand, “it won’t take long,” according to reservation planner Andy Datko. “We think a significant number of single family home sites will be developed fairly quickly,” he said.

Additional duplexes are also in the works. The band is planning to apply soon for funding for another eight duplexes, or an additional 16 units, according to Datko.

All together, the band is looking at more than 100 new residences, amounting to a major expansion of the reservation’s population. “It’s very significant,” said Burr.