Dennis Wagner, and Craig Harris

The Republic | azcentral.com

The Navajo Nation's embattled housing agency is set to get a new, smaller and more qualified board of commissioners under reform legislation signed by tribal President Russell Begaye.

The Navajo Housing Authority has struggled for decades to carry out its mission of providing affordable homes for tribal members.

Late last year, an Arizona Republic investigation documented that troubling performance.

While some problems are attributable to unique development obstacles in Indian country, the series showed NHA had built only a few hundred homes in recent years, many of which were never occupied or had to be torn down. At the same time, despite a need for more than 33,000 new dwellings and an equal number of refurbishments, NHA at one point accrued a backlog of nearly $500 million in unspent funds.

Under the legislation signed Friday by Begaye, NHA's eight-member board will be replaced and reduced to five. New members are required to have professional qualifications and credentials in the fields of housing, architecture, business, development and contracting.

The current commission will remain in place for 120 days while openings are advertised and applicants are screened. Nominees will be submitted for approval to the Navajo Nation Council, known as the Nabik’iyati’ Committee.

NHA, which receives over $80 million annually from the federal government, builds new homes and maintains existing residential projects across a reservation sprawling over portions of Arizona, Utah and Colorado,

The agency's operation has been so problematic in recent years that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ordered reimbursement of about $100 million in squandered funds, and some members of Congress have threatened to cut the Navajo Nation's share of federal housing dollars.

NHA executive director Aneva "A.J". Yazzie said last week she had not analyzed which current members of the commission may be disqualified from seeking appointment under the new legislation.

In the past, Yazzie has listed turnover in the agency's board as a key problem in moving ahead with housing projects. She did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the measure that could completely replace the current leadership.