Since 2005, the Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Council’s Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority (OOHA) has worked on the Owe'neh Bupingeh Preservation Project. Recently, Phase 5 of the project was completed with the support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. This phase provided newly renovated housing for eight families, so now a total of 42 homes have been restored to date, with just 10 left to complete.
The project originally began to restore hundreds of abandoned homes over 700 years old in the Tribe’s Pueblo center, the most sacred space on the Reservation in New Mexico. Committed to securing self-sufficiency for Tribal members, OOHA developed a comprehensive plan for the preservation, revitalization and restoration of the historic Pueblo. Tribal Citizens, who otherwise could not rehabilitate the homes on their own, are also educated on preserving their adobe homes. In addition, financial and homebuyer education classes have been incorporated to provide daily homeownership counseling by OOHA staff.
