Navajo Tribal Utility Authority – Fort Defiance, AZ

Clearinghouse CDFI (CCDFI) provided $8,000,000 in New Markets Tax Credits to Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) for a new utility facility to better serve customers in the Tribal area.  

With critical NMTC funding, NTUA is enhancing its district office in Fort Defiance, AZ, located in a low-income community facing significant socioeconomic challenges. Currently, the outdated and inadequate district office provides space for only two tellers and can accommodate fewer than ten customers at a time. About 50% of district residents pay their utility bills in person, mostly within the first week of receiving subsidies, causing substantial wait times and congestion on adjacent highways during peak periods. Financing provided by CCDFI replaces the current unsafe structures and trailers with a modern district office, enhancing service for those paying bills in person and enabling NTUA’s cellular company to expand teller service, inventory, and customer support. This new facility is designed to improve service levels, safety, and accessibility, supporting NTUA’s essential role in a vast region.  

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority provides essential services like electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, and solar across the Navajo Nation. NTUA focuses on expanding and maintaining these services at reasonable costs and strives to enhance employment, health, and welfare for the Navajo people, significantly raising their standard of living. 

Read the full story here: Just Funded – Navajo Utility Tribal Authority

23AZ-7554

Financing Provided:
$8,000,000 in NMTCs
Location:
Fort Defiance, AZ
Impact:
Serves 4,000 clients annually, with 80% identified as low-income and 90% Native American. Reduces the number of homes without electricity from 13,500 to 11,000. Decreases homes without running water or proper wastewater disposal from 13,500 to 11,000. Expands high-speed internet connections from 10,414 to 15,414 customers.
Purpose:
Financing to replace the current unsafe structures and trailers with a modern office, expanding and enhancing service for customers in the Tribal area
Year Funded:
2024
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