Coalition Advocates for Native Homeownership in Washington DC
During the National American Indian Housing Council’s 2018 Legislative Conference, March 5-7 in Washington, DC, the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition mobilized a group of advocates that engaged in dialogue with numerous congressional representatives and federal agencies. This year’s group of advocates demonstrated a diverse representation of reservation communities, and included Tribally Designated Housing Entities, Tribal Veterans Service Officers, and partners from Cheyenne River, Lower Brule, Rosebud, Sisseton, Standing Rock, and Yankton.
During the DC trip, we met with Tara Sweeney, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Department of the Interior to discuss the Bureau of Indian Affairs residential lease, mortgage, and Title Status Report approval processes. We urged the Assistant Secretary to streamline these processes, especially the Land Title Records Offices, which are not designed to accommodate the pace of the residential real estate market.
Other highlights included:
Providing updates on the USDA 502 Relending Pilot, and advocating to make it a permanent program for Native communities nationwide. We shared progress on the 502 Relending Pilot, currently being implemented in South Dakota by Four Bands Community Fund and Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial, with USDA Rural Development, as well as staff from Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Senator John Thune (R-SD), and Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), who were all instrumental in launching the pilot. Senator Hoeven even mentioned the 502 Relending Program in his address to the NAIHC Legislative Conference.
Meeting with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss ways to streamline the Native American Direct Loan process in order to expand homeownership opportunities for Native American veterans on trust land. We proposed several policy recommendations that would expand outreach and assistance to Native veterans, design a loan packaging program, and pilot a relending demonstration, similar to the 502 Relending Pilot. We also advocated for these policies in our meeting with Senator Rounds’ Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs staff.
Sharing opportunities and challenges associated with Native homeownership with HUD Office of Native American Programs.We met with Deputy Assistant Secretary Heidi Frechette to advocate for solutions that would streamline processes and increase homeownership opportunities for Native Americans. Specifically, we discussed improving the implementation of HUD VASH vouchers, issues with the HUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan program, and BIA issues.
Meeting with Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Commissioner Jeannie Hovland and her staff to learning about how ANA’s programs could benefit the members of the Coalition.
Nearly 12,000 People Reached Through “Native Homeownership is Possible” Campaign
On November 5, 2018 the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition launched a week-long social media campaign designed to spread the message that “Native Homeownership is Possible” throughout Native communities in the state by utilizing the series of Native homeownership videos we produced. To help our stakeholders engage in the campaign, we developed a Social Media Toolkit with sample posts, a collection of shareable images, and hashtags.
We are pleased to announce that the campaign was incredibly successful! It gained momentum each day, and our message reached far and wide. Here’s what we accomplished:
- Reached 11,869 people through Facebook posts.
- Engaged 519 people through Facebook posts.
- Drove 58 people to the nativehomeownership.com site to seek out homeownership resources or watch additional videos.
- Accumulated 453 views of the videos in the “Native Homeownership is Possible” series.
And some more great news… The content we published during the campaign will continue to have an impact in Native communities. As a result of the campaign, we seeded the idea of homeownership in nearly 12,000 minds. Not all of those people will act right away, but 58 people did take the first step on their homeownership journey by seeking out more information on our nativehomeownership.com website. We can’t wait to see more and more Native families becoming homeowners!
Campaign Participants
The campaign was made possible by our stakeholders that mobilized to help spread the critical message that homeownership is possible in Native communities. We’d like to thank the following people and organizations for sharing and posting content to support a broader reach of the campaign’s messaging:
Juel Burnette
Chance Renville
CRHA Homebuyer Readiness
Andrew Boyd
Lisa Whitewing
Tony Wood
Dowell Caselli Smith
Northwest Area Foundation
GROW South Dakota
Enterprise Community Partners
Lakota Funds
Lakota Federal Credit Union
Homes are Possible, Inc.
Christine Sorensen
Ana Catches
Sweet Grass Consulting
Lesa Jarding
Coalition Reflects on Accomplishments and Re-Energizes for Year Ahead
On October 29, the Coalition held our 5th Annual Planning day, which was the day prior to the South Dakota Annual Housing Conference. During the planning day, we continued our tradition of reflecting on the past year, highlighting accomplishments, and planning for the year ahead. The day provided the opportunity for Coalition members to celebrate our work, explore future priorities, and re-energize for the future. The day’s agenda included:
Historical Timeline
Coalition members reviewed this historical timeline, which reflected key milestones in the Coalition’s development. These milestones include annual visits to tribal communities, homebuyer practitioner trainings, launching the construction internship program, the 502 re-lending pilot, and creating the veterans homeownership committee.
Key Accomplishments
Jennifer Irving of Thunder Valley CDC facilitated our look at these accomplishments, including launching the membership drive, developing the Native Homeownership is Possible media campaign, and solidifying the Coalition’s data collection systems.
Strategic Directions
Coalition members had the opportunity to break out into small groups to explore strategic directions proposed by the executive committee:
- Ensuring the Coalition’s sustainability
- Building capacity for Native homeownership
- Identifying outcomes and developing an impact tracking plan
- Developing an effective and comprehensive communication plan
Tribal Leaders Handbook on Homeownership
Jason Adams of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority in Montana shared information on the Handbook, which was developed by the Center for Indian Country Development and Enterprise Community Partners.
Housing Needs Studies
Sonny Hill of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and Joanna Donohoe provided an update on the two studies currently being completed with the support of the Coalition and the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. Conducted by Big Water Consulting, the studies are focusing on homeownership needs of the Yankton and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes.
Construction Internship Program
Coalition members had the opportunity learn about 2018 construction internship efforts through a discussion with internship partners: Tawney Brunsch (Lakota Funds), Alissa Benoist (Four Bands Community Fund), Kenny Soderlin (Pine Ridge contractor), and Michael Patton (Pine Ridge intern).
Committee Meetings
Through in-person committee meetings, Coalition members had the chance to review their 2018 efforts, start planning 2019 milestones, and appoint (or re-appoint) committee chairs. Proposed 2019 milestones are reflected here. During their meeting, members of the Funding and Finance committee agreed to change the name of this committee to Coalition and Member Sustainability, to reflect their focus on long-term sustainability.
Commitments
At the conclusion of the planning day, Coalition members noted their individual commitments to the Coalition. These included:
- Renew membership and become more active.
- I commit to being a committee co-chair.
- Become paid member.
- Share social media resources with our media lists to promote the Coalition’s work.
- I will remain committed to providing my time and energy to the goals and mission statement of the SDNHOC. My organization will become a member of SDNHOC. Thank you SDNHOC for all you do for the Indian country and native homeownership.
- My commitment is to obtain knowledge and educate myself so I can be more committed in the future coalition.
- Continue to represent my housing authority.
- I am committed to participating in Coalition activities, committee meetings and promoting the work being done here to other partners nationally. Share Native Homeownership is possible campaign!
- To continue ongoing work needed in our communities. Focus on needs for our people.
Native Homeownership Track at the South Dakota Annual Housing Conference
This year, the Coalition also continued our tradition of planning conference workshops focused on issues relating to Native homeownership. These workshops enable our Coalition members, and other conference attendees, to dive deeper into topics impacting our work. This year’s workshops covered:
- Exploring New Mortgage Market Opportunities: The Mortgage Lending Process on Trust Land
- Homeownership Opportunities for Native Families: A Look at Subdivision Development Financing
- Increasing Housing Stock in Native Communities: New Native-owned Construction Companies
- Home Construction Options on Tribal Land
Coalition Launches Statewide Social Media Campaign
The South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition is pleased to announce the launch of our “Native Homeownership is Possible” social media campaign. Through this campaign we hope to mobilize a force of stakeholders to amplify the message that ‘homeownership is possible’ within Native communities in South Dakota. During campaign week participating organizations will be sharing and posting content through social media outlets to ensure this critical message is being heard by Native families throughout the state.
Native Homeownership is Possible Campaign
November 5 – 9, 2018
Social Media Toolkit
We have developed an easy to follow toolkit that can be used as a guide for your social media efforts as you take part in the “Native Homeownership is Possible” campaign. Please feel free to use or modify the content presented in this toolkit to help us promote a strong message of Native homeownership.
Shareable Images
We have developed several social share cards for you to use with your favorite social media outlet. Just save the images to your computer or device and start sharing!
Amplifying Our Voice
To help us expand our collective effort, please also use the following hashtags in your social media posts:
#NativeHomeownership
#NativeHomeownershipIsPossible
#MyNativePathHome
Coalition Reveals Collective Impact Resulting from Three-Year Data Collection Initiative
During the Coalition’s Annual Planning Day, we presented the first data report from our ongoing data collection initiative, which began in 2016 with a desire to show the collective impact our member organizations are having on homeownership rates. Twenty-four organizations that provide homeownership training, assistance, and/or loans participated in the initiative.
The data, which was collected through a variety of methods, reflects loans closed, technical assistance provided, and classroom trainings offered from January 2017 through September 2018 by the participating organizations. The report highlights include:
- 131 home loans totaling $7,064,300 were made to Native American families
- Within those loans, $940,380 was provided in subsidies
- A total of 4,997 hours of technical assistance were provided to 1,702 clients
- 2,872 people attended a total of 488 classroom trainings
Other details included in the report were types of loans, land location and land status, types of lenders/packagers, and percentage of subsidies by type. In addition to this activity data the Coalition has implemented and annual activity report and data collection tool which highlights certified counseling activity, the types of trainings offered, partnerships, sources of subsidies, HERO certification, number of clients in loan pipelines, and the key impacts of participating in the Coalition.
This initial report is a brief preview into some of the data that the Coalition collects and reports on. In the future, more detailed reports will be available.
Coalition Working on Multiple Fronts to Support Native Construction Industry
Recognizing that the lack of housing stock is a real barrier to homeownership in Native communities, the Coalition is working hard to support local contractors and encourage them to build more homes. We are excited about developing the following programming to support our Native construction industry:
Construction Internship Pilot Program – Summer 2017
After hearing from contractors that finding employment-ready workers is a challenge, in summer 2017, the Coalition launched a pilot internship program to place building trades students from Oglala Lakota College with local contractors. Through the program, students on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Reservations gained valuable hands-on construction experience, while contractors had the chance to test out potential employees in a risk-free setting. The program was managed by our Native CDFI partners – Four Bands Community Fund on Cheyenne River and Lakota Funds on Pine Ridge – who also provided financial education classes to participants. Based on input from interns, contractors, and partners, the program was a huge success; of the 11 students who completed the internship, 9 received job offers from their contractors.
Building on this success, we plan to expand to additional tribal communities in summer 2018. To learn more about the construction internship program, click below to download your copy of the program report.
Contractor Workshop – Jan 31, 2018 – Rapid City
In January 2018, the Coalition’s Veterans Committee organized a one-day workshop for contractors focused on how to work with loan products available for building on trust land. With over 65 participants and contractors from around the state, the workshop was very well attended, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
According to one contractor:
“It was a great turnout. A lot of beneficial information provided and networking.”
The day’s agenda included contractor and lender perspectives on working with the HUD 184 loan, information on the VA’s Native American Direct Loan (NADL) and USDA’s 502 loan, resources provided by Native CDFIs, and recognition of the summer 2017 interns and contractors.
Inspector Certification Training – February 27-March 2, 2018 – Rapid City
Understanding that the shortage of certified building inspectors can delay the construction process, the Coalition is also working to increase the number of certified inspectors working in tribal communities. Our goal is to have at least one certified inspector on each reservation in South Dakota. This winter, we held an intensive four-day training to prepare participants for the inspector certification exam, with the actual exam administered on the fourth day of the training. Thirty-one participants attended the training, a combination of independent contractors and housing authority staff. The training was conducted by the International Code Council (ICC), who sent their top instructors to work with our Coalition participants. Feedback about the training was extremely positive; in the words of one participant, “the training was extremely helpful and I appreciate the opportunity to participate.” Another participant stated, “I liked the training – best one I have been at.” Recognizing the value of building codes in providing safety standards, a number of participants have requested support to promote the adoption of building codes in their tribal communities.
Coalition Members Develop Innovative Approach to Increase Native Veteran Homeownership
Two Coalition members, Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial (Mazaska) and Lakota Funds, have teamed up to increase homeownership rates for Native American veterans through an innovative new approach that simplifies the path to homeownership. In late February, both organizations were present to support George O’Rourke and Darrel Hernandez as they closed their VA Native American Direct Loans (NADL) and took the final steps toward homeownership on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Colleen Steele, Executive Director of Mazaska, explains the new approach was born out of listening sessions that were hosted by the Coalition. Through the listening sessions, she heard the stories of several Native American veterans and gained a solid understanding of the barriers they face in achieving homeownership.
“Some of the veterans we talked to had been trying to access mortgage products designed specifically for veterans for more than two years, and we realized that Mazaska could make things a lot easier for them,” says Steele.
Through the new model, Mazaska provides a construction loan to the veteran and then helps them refinance with the Veterans Affairs Native American Direct Loan once the home is constructed. Mazaska also provides homebuyer education and assistance throughout the loan process. Especially during the complex refinance, Mazaska and Lakota Funds work together to provide intensive support to the homebuyer and coordinate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to keep things moving forward.
George O’Rourke comments on his experience, “The Mazaska program helped make refinancing my home with the Native American Direct Loan a simple quick process. I would like to thank Veterans Affairs for working with Mazaska to create this opportunity for future veterans.”
“It was a long time coming,” says Darrell Hernandez. “I really appreciate the help I received from Mazaska to get the loan finalized so that my family could move into our new home. I am more committed than ever to work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to streamline the Native American Direct Loan process so that other Native veterans won’t have to wait so long.”
“Our Native American veterans have sacrificed a lot by serving our country. We are glad to serve them as they pursue their homeownership dreams,” says Steele.