FirstPic, Inc. designed and conducted a comprehensive study of the costs of operating housing developed under 1937 Act programs in Indian Country. In Phase 1, FirstPic, Inc. developed the concepts and variables associated with this study, including types of costs and the factors that influence costs, and examined existing financial records to demonstrate costs. Tribes were actively informed and engaged through print, electronic, regional meetings, and site visits.
In Phase 2, FirstPic, Inc. collected common operating costs from a broad, diverse set of tribes and TDHEs. The scope of the study was amended to include 15 energy site assessments. The draft report, Assessment of Tribal Energy Costs and Usage, explored issues related to a project-based formula or process that HUD might consider for use in the IHBG Formula. FirstPic, Inc. partnered with the University of Illinois Building Research Council and JBS International, Inc.