HUD Assistant Secretary Visits Pine Ridge

Derrith Watchman-Moore, HUD Regional Administrator Region VII; Sandra Henriquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing; Elsie Meeks, State Director USDA Rural Development; John Steele, Oglala Sioux Tribal President

Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, Sandra Henriquez recently toured the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Ms. Henriquez was able to recognize the need for more housing on the reservation, participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony, and observe the sustainability efforts on the reservation.

During her tour, Ms. Henriquez visited with several families that live in overcrowding situations. In one situation there were twenty people living in a four-bedroom home. She was impressed with the tour of a newer housing project consisting of single family homes used both for rental and homeownership.

Ms. Henriquez was a featured speaker during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new administrative building for the Oglala Sioux Housing Authority. The new building will bring the majority of the housing authority's services in one location resulting in better services for their clients and better working conditions for the staff. The building was funded through HUD and USDA Rural Development.

The corporation is working in partnership with the University of Colorado, Oglala Lakota College, and the South Dakota School of Mines to construct four sustainable housing prototypes. The homes will have the same layout and the same technologies. They will be built with different types of construction - straw bale infill, compressed earth block, structural insulated panels, and conventional framing. The homes will be monitored for 12 months to determine the best performing construction type.

Left to right: Emma "pinky" Clifford, Executive Director Oglala Sioux Partnership for Housing; Sandra Henriquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing; Rodger Boyd HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Programs; Mike Boyd, Director Grants Management Northern Plain ONAP

Ms. Henriquez was also able to observe the sustainability efforts by the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (www.thundervalley.org/).

In October 2010, Thunder Valley was the recipient of a HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grant.

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