TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is opening applications for emergency utility assistance starting Friday, May 6.
The Emergency Utility Assistance Program aims to assist eligible Cherokee Nation citizen households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with utility payments.
Assistance may be used to cover a portion of past-due utility payments, current and future utility payments, and utility deposits. The tribe can assist with natural gas, propane, water or electricity. The payment will be made directly to the utility company and the applicant must upload the utility bill they wish to receive assistance on with the online application.
Applications to apply will be available starting May 6 only on the Gadugi Portal located online at https://gadugiportal.cherokee.
“Many of our Cherokee families are still recovering from the financial hardships caused over the past two years by the COVID-19 pandemic and this emergency rental assistance can help give some support to these families,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “We will recover from the effects of the pandemic working together in the spirit of Gadugi, that’s the Cherokee way.”
The Cherokee Nation will utilize funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
To be eligible for the program at least one household member must be a Cherokee Nation citizen.
Those eligible must live within the Cherokee Nation Reservation and household income may not exceed 80 percent of the area median income. For income guidelines visit https://www.cherokee.org/
“Eligible families should log onto the Gadugi Portal starting May 6 and apply for the emergency utility assistance by June 3,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “These funds will help many Cherokee families.”
For questions regarding eligibility or assistance with applications, email human_services@cherokee.org or call 918-453-5464.
About Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the federally recognized government of the Cherokee people and has inherent sovereign status recognized by treaty and law. The seat of tribal government is the W.W. Keeler Complex near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. With more than 400,000 citizens, 11,000 employees and a variety of tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts to entertainment venues, Cherokee Nation is one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma and is the largest tribal nation in the United States.
To learn more, please visit www.cherokee.org.
