Indianz.Com > News > Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation addresses needs on reservation

Photo: Anadisgoi / Cherokee Nation
Building needed infrastructure and housing across the Cherokee Nation Reservation
Monday, January 23, 2023
Cherokee Nation
Many decades before Oklahoma became a state, the Cherokee Nation was building public infrastructure on this land, ranging from roads and schools to the oldest public building in the state, the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Building, which is now serving as a historical museum. But Cherokee Nation’s role in building essential infrastructure is not only our history. Across our 14-county reservation in northeast Oklahoma, we continue to build the infrastructure to serve Cherokees present and future.
As a sovereign government, the Cherokee Nation is aggressively building new homes, constructing new community centers, making broadband more accessible, and creating safer roads, bridges and water systems. We try to prioritize projects that will improve living standards and pay off with long-term economic growth, as well as create high-quality construction jobs.
That is the focus of the recently reauthorized Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act. With this act, the Council of the Cherokee Nation, Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I developed a plan for investing $120 million to build homes and increase homeownership among Cherokees, as well as modernizing and expanding community centers across the reservation. We also worked with the Council of the Cherokee Nation to add over $20 million for local infrastructure projects such as roads and water system improvements over the next few years.
Our plans are grounded in what the people want at the community level. Deputy Chief Warner and I know that often the best we can do for Cherokees is to ensure our citizens have the resources to do what they do best, which is to take care of each other. Community is what inspires us during good times and supports us when we need it most. A strong community improves both our physical and mental health.

Chuck Hoskin Jr.
is the 18th elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian
tribe in the United States. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the
Cherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from
1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe’s
Secretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the
Cherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.
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