Author: Kathleen Rose

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe will build a new highway known as “Indian Route 35″ with assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) program. The NSFLTP program provides funding for the construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of nationally-significant projects within, adjacent to, or accessing Federal and tribal lands. The new road will create a bypass through Wadsworth, Nevada, and provide a safer and more efficient route for everyone. “Indian Route 35” is also known as the Wadsworth Bypass Road. ‘Indian Route 35’ In a joint statement, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky…

For many tribal members, home ownership is a challenge but with a new program from Freddie Mac, owning a home is more of a reality. Freddie Mac has announced the launch of a new mortgage product to support members of Native American communities.  HeritageOne is the new product that will provide affordable financing options for single-family homes on tribal lands in rural areas. While other programs have supported community housing needs, this new product from Freddie Mac benefits individual tribal members directly. HeritageOne will also provide financial advice and other resources to members of tribes, including tribal members buying their first…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $95 million to 55 Indian communities. The resources are coming from the Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program. The ICDBG Program provides direct grants to successful applicants. Projects funding by the ICDBG program must generally benefit low and medium income people. Indian Communities can use the grant funds for infrastructure, community facilities, housing rehabilitation, economic development, and more. The grants are intended to support Native American and Alaskan Native families on Indian reservations and in other Indian areas. Meeting Critical Indian Country Needs “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed water quality standards for Indian reservations without Clean Water Act standards. The standards would protect over half a million people living on Indian reservations as well as critical aquatic ecosystems. The Clean Water Act (CWA) incorporates a goal that waters should support fishing and swimming wherever attainable. All states and 47 Tribes have established standards consistent with that goal. However, the majority of U.S. Tribes with Indian reservations lack water quality standards. The EPA proposal would extend the same water quality protections to over 250 Tribes that do not have standards. EPA Developed the…

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), scammers are targeting vulnerable Native Americans. The scams involve trafficking, health care, and behavioral health outpatient treatment centers. Native Americans Seeking Health Support Referred to Fake Sober Living Homes These scammers specifically target vulnerable Native Americans by setting up phony sober living homes that claim to provide addiction treatment and support. However, these homes are actually fronts for illegal activities that pose a risk to Native Americans seeking help. In addition, Native Americans are falling victim to schemes involving trafficking and healthcare fraud. In these cases, perpetrators…

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control shows an alarming number of Native American youth consider suicide and are more likely than any other group to experience sexual violence.  The Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011–2021 provides data on U.S. high school students, including Native American youth. The data focuses on their health and well-being. The CDC continues to see areas of youth health and well-being improve overall. Students have decreased risky sexual behavior, such as ever or current sexual activity, and substance use. In the latest survey, CDC also saw a decrease in the proportion of…

For the 150 years from 1819 to 1969, it was federal policy to have Indian children forcibly abducted by government agents. The children were taken away from their homelands to Indian Boarding Schools, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Many were beaten, starved, or otherwise abused when they spoke their native languages. To begin addressing these injustices, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has introduced the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act. What the Indian Boarding School Legislation Would Do The primary action of the bill is to create a formal commission. Its mission would…