FORT YATES - The Standing Rock tribe was hailed Tuesday as a national leader in using income tax credits to develop housing on the reservation.

Fannie Mae, the nation's largest source of financing for home mortgages, gave the tribe a "Fulfilling the American Dream" award for leading the nation in using low-income housing tax credit programs to create more housing on the reservation.

In the past three years, the tribe has partnered with other entities to invest more than $18 million in affordable rental homes, creating 192 single-family rental homes. Ninety of the units were rehabilitated, and 102 were brand new. Still, the Standing Rock Housing Authority has a waiting list of about 300 low-income tribal members who need homes.

Sitting Bull College is the first tribal college in the nation to use the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to create student housing. The Fannie Mae award was given to tribal officials in front of Sitting Bull's new student housing development west of Fort Yates.

Sitting Bull College's building trades program designed and built the 18 homes, which are part of phase one of the college's new $40 million campus. Frank White Bull, a member of the tribal council and housing authority, said it was nice to have tribal members design the homes themselves, rather than have something handed to them.

"It's a good day," he said. "It's a landmark day."

The student housing is specifically for single-parent families, to accommodate the college's large population of single parents. A couple of the units are occupied, and the rest should be filled by the end of summer.

Sterling St. John, director of development for the college, said enrollment is at an all-time high of 379, compared to an average of 200 students. He said he believes the housing is contributing to the surge.

"We really desperately need housing," he said.

The college housing development is one of 14 housing tax credit projects in development on the reservation. Shirley Dykshoorn, director of Fannie Mae's North Dakota partnership office, said Fannie Mae has invested more than $13 million of the total development costs for the student housing.

"There isn't any other reservation that has done as much with tax credits for housing development," she said.

Tribal Chairman Charlie Murphy said the housing developments have brought pride to the tribe and millions of dollars in private capital and construction jobs to the reservation.

(Reach Deena Winter at 250-8251 or deena.winter@bismarcktribune.com.)