Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery signs documents to amend the Lumbee Tribe Homeownership Policy with Housing Director Bradley Locklear, Financial Edu/Housing Manager Kathy Locklear and Tribal Administrator Ricky Harris.
Photo courtesy Lumbee Tribe
PEMBROKE — The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina started National Homeownership Month with a major policy change to allow families to build homes on land that is not road-front.
Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery signed the historic amendment at the Lumbee Tribal Housing Complex on Thursday.
The policy change is considered to be a “game-changer” for many Lumbee families. Chairman Lowery said he has made homeownership a priority for it to become a reality for more Lumbee families.
“Since I came into office, we have increased down payment assistance, reduced the interest rate on home construction loans and with today’s changes to the road frontage policy, we will substantially increase the number of Lumbee citizens who qualify for our homeownership program,” Lowery said.
The previous policy may have deterred some tribal potential homebuyers because family land is so important to Lumbee members. In a farm community, children don’t always have the opportunity for road frontage always road frontage.
The program still has some criteria:
The land can’t be farther than 1,000 ft. off the road.
The land must be a minimum of a half-acre.
The homeowner must have a permanent recorded easement.
The access road must be an all-weather road.
The new policy change followed an extensive amount of research and discussion with Lumbee Tribal members, the Lumbee Tribal Council, and the tribal staff to ensure this policy works best for tribal members and the Lumbee Tribe Housing Program, according to Lumbee Tribal Administration.
Chairman Lowery said he is excited about this new opportunity for his administration to continue to help Lumbee families become first-time homeowners.
“Investing in a home is the biggest financial investment most people will ever make in their lifetime,” Lowery said. “We want to make sure we are placing our tribal members in the best position possible for success.”
For more information about the Lumbee Tribe Housing Department and how one can build a home on their land, contact the Housing Department staff at 910-522-2189.
Tasha Oxendine is the Public Relations manager for the Lumbee Tribe of NC. She can be reached at [email protected].
