Navajo Nation seeks to rebuild troubled public housing authority

ALBUQUERQUE — The chief executive of the largest American Indian public housing authority in the U.S. will be stepping down as the Navajo Nation looks to rebuild its reputation after concerns were raised about the lack of housing on the vast reservation.

Newly appointed members of the board that oversees the Navajo Housing Authority made the announcement Wednesday. Aneva Yazzie’s last day will be Friday.

The board said it was a mutual decision and that Yazzie’s departure will mark the first step in rebuilding the organization.

“Moving forward, NHA must first restore trust with the people we serve by promoting transparency, communication, efficiency and accountability,” the board said in a statement. “Part of that process includes looking at NHA as a whole and determining a new direction based on the needs of the Navajo people and communities on the Navajo Nation.”

The move follows about four weeks of the board reviewing the housing authority’s financial records and talking with Yazzie, other staff and a number of the tribe’s elected officials.

Navajo housing officials in recent weeks have defended themselves against accusations that they overspent millions of dollars in federal grant funds. The allegations spurred a congressional investigation, but federal regulators have found no evidence of fraud or other criminal conduct.

According to the findings of an investigation by U.S. Sen. John McCain’s office and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the housing authority over 10 years received more than $803 million in federal block grant funding and built only 1,110 homes.

The inquiry was triggered by an investigative series published by The Arizona Republic beginning in December. The newspaper reported that the tribal agency at one point built up an unspent reserve of nearly $500 million and while few homes were built, key projects that did get built were never occupied or had severe problems.