The program connects tribal communities with resources to help households in some of the nation’s most underresourced reservations access homeownership.
A new initiative created by five South Dakota Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) aims to help Native people overcome the unique challenges they face when trying to buy homes. As Bianca Gonzales reports in Smart Cities Dive, “In addition to Lakota Funds, the initiative includes Lakota Federal Credit Union, Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial, Sicangu Wicoti Awanyakapi Corporation and Tatanka Funds. The five financial institutions are providing communities in the Rosebud Reservation with trainings on the homeownership process and becoming stewards over their finances.”
While “The section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program was designed specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native families in 1992 to facilitate homeownership and increase access to capital in Native American Communities.” However, the complicated nature of mortgage lending on reservation lands has led to low numbers of loans on tribal land. “The Rosebud Reservation is a credit desert, which adds an additional barrier for its communities.” The program, the Rosebud Homeownership and Wealth Building Initiative, uses creative solutions including a ‘Rolling Res Bus’ to bring resources to the many small, geographically dispersed tribal communities in the region.
FULL STORY: South Dakota Initiative Helps Native American Families Become Homeowners
The Fight to Improve Tribal Transportation
Advocates for tribal communities argue that the bipartisan infrastructure bill does not direct enough money to tribal transportation needs, but USDOT and local leaders can ensure more equitable distribution of funds to projects on tribal lands.
Federal Grants Aid Native Relocation, but Will They Be Enough?
Increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, many Native Alaskan and other indigenous communities will have to relocate—and soon.
Federal Grants Fund Tribal Relocation Efforts
Tribal communities threatened by climate change are opting to relocate or engage in ‘managed retreat’ to save their villages from sea level rise, erosion, flooding, and other climate impacts.
The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.
America’s Best New Bike Lanes
PeopleForBikes highlights some of the most exciting new bike infrastructure projects completed in 2022.
Early Sharrow Booster: ‘I Was Wrong’
The lane marking was meant to raise awareness and instill shared respect among drivers and cyclists. But their inefficiency has led supporters to denounce sharrows, pushing instead for more robust bike infrastructure that truly protects riders.
L.A. County Towns Clash Over Homelessness Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective borders, but varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.
A Mixed-Use Vision for Houston Landfill Site
A local nonprofit is urging the city to consider adding mixed-use development to the site, which city officials plan to turn into a stormwater detention facility.
Milwaukee County Makes Substantial Progress on Homelessness
In 2022, the county’s point-in-time count of unhoused people reflected just 18 individuals, the lowest in the country.
Town of Palm Beach
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Fitchburg, WI
City of Culver City
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
