Enterprise Community Partners
Report date
February 2021
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
The Native Homeownership Learning Communities Cohort (NHLCC) was launched in January 2020. The Cohort participants based in South Dakota include nine organizations serving the Cheyenne River, Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. The organizations are a mix of tribal housing authorities, tribal housing departments, tribally designated housing entities and a Native CDFI. The Cohort is a program of training, technical assistance and peer to peer learning and networking to build cohort member’s capacity to enhance or implement a tribal homeownership program. It was envisioned from inception that much of the Cohort would take place in a virtual learning environment even before the pandemic hit. In April of 2020, the decision was made to extend the Cohort an additional 6 months into 2021 and offer additional sessions in the cohort to assist members in their response to Covid-19 and meeting their communities’ needs and challenges.
The work of the NHLCC was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic which necessitated a shift from a combination of in-person and web-based trainings to all virtual trainings. One in-person training took place (January 2020 launch). 10 virtual sessions were held covering a wide range of topics including: mortgage ordinance on trust land, Foreclosure Prevention, Impacts of Traditional Native Values, and several sessions in which cohort members had the opportunity to workshop their programs/challenges with the cohort members.
The second major training component were monthly webinar style trainings covering a wide range of topics. Many focused on the impacts of Covid-19 and strategies for coping with the pandemic in tribal communities. Other topics more directly related to housing included the HUD 184 Loan program, Housing Needs Assessments, Building Codes, and Developing Long Distance Partnerships. These webinars elevated understanding of these issues and moved them from the back burner to the forefront of the conversation. Funding from Enterprise will also be used to start a new Housing Needs Assessment for our Thunder Valley group with support from other organizations.
The second major training component were monthly webinar style trainings covering a wide range of topics. Many focused on the impacts of Covid-19 and strategies for coping with the pandemic in tribal communities. Other topics more directly related to housing included the HUD 184 Loan program, Housing Needs Assessments, Building Codes, and Developing Long Distance Partnerships. These webinars elevated understanding of these issues and moved them from the back burner to the forefront of the conversation. Funding from Enterprise will also be used to start a new Housing Needs Assessment for our Thunder Valley group with support from other organizations.
Our work with the SDNHOC, specifically the Physical Issues committee where we provided funding to one project and attended meetings providing input with the other, has gained momentum over the year. The Construction Internship armed interns with financial literacy skills that the previous generation lacked. They were introduced to creating bank accounts, learned different tools such as creating a budget and managing credit and loans. One intern began budgeting to pay a light bill at a relative's house and the groceries in another’s house - providing much needed relief as well as practicing the traditional value of the Lakota “Waunsila” (compassion for others).
The Appraiser program has addressed the need for more appraisers on trust land. Currently there are only a few and they cannot adequately handle the demand for appraisals in a timely manner. The goal is to have an appraiser on every reservation in SD. Two licensed realtors were part of the original group and have brought PAASD (Professional Appraisers Association of SD) into the conversation and they’ve been a great help. The group hosted its first training for licensed appraisers on October 14th in Pierre, SD and all 15
The Appraiser program has addressed the need for more appraisers on trust land. Currently there are only a few and they cannot adequately handle the demand for appraisals in a timely manner. The goal is to have an appraiser on every reservation in SD. Two licensed realtors were part of the original group and have brought PAASD (Professional Appraisers Association of SD) into the conversation and they’ve been a great help. The group hosted its first training for licensed appraisers on October 14th in Pierre, SD and all 15
Key lessons learned
No community in this country has been harder hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than Native communities. The effects of the virus have been compounded by crowded housing conditions, high rates of poor health including obesity, diabetes, and asthma, poverty and the failure of state and federal health agencies to support Tribes. The quarantines necessitated by the pandemic have changed work for everyone, but the impact is greater on tribes that do not have high-speed internet connectivity and/or the capacity to adopt new online technologies.
The impact of Covid-19 on cohort members caused us to change the topics of some trainings to focus on alleviating this impact. The Enterprise Rural Native American Initiative team welcomed two Native American expert leaders in their respective fields to host these trainings: Dean S. Seneca, MPH, MCURP, CEO of Seneca Scientific Solutions and recently served as Director of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (GLITEC), and Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and the Director of Food Sovereignty Programs at United Tribes Technical College. This webinar provided insight into information and tools to help them navigate through the crisis.
The impact of Covid-19 on cohort members caused us to change the topics of some trainings to focus on alleviating this impact. The Enterprise Rural Native American Initiative team welcomed two Native American expert leaders in their respective fields to host these trainings: Dean S. Seneca, MPH, MCURP, CEO of Seneca Scientific Solutions and recently served as Director of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (GLITEC), and Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and the Director of Food Sovereignty Programs at United Tribes Technical College. This webinar provided insight into information and tools to help them navigate through the crisis.
We learned that our reservation communities in South Dakota are resilient. There has been work between two cohort members from different reservations to help get a desperately needed CDFI off the ground which will provide financial services to tribal members. Colleen Steele of Maza Ska Owecaso Otipi Financial Inc, was a speaker on our webinar talking about implementing building codes on our reservations. Without any building codes or enforcement officials knowledgeable of outside HUD codes, our Tribal members are vulnerable to purchasing a house built with improper construction. As diligent as Maza Ska is, there still aren’t updated building codes that would provide properly built homes for their tribal members. The pandemic derailed a lot of progress, but Maza Ska and the others adapted to the environment and continued to provide their services virtually to their community. Many tribal members are now very open to being a new homeowner after living in a multigenerational dwelling during the pandemic.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
Inclusive and collaborative. Due to the cohort's meetings providing a place to create common ground to collaborate on shared issues and provide an inclusive space to identify resources to address those concerns. Being able to watch these community teams was inspiring; equally so was seeing all three of these elements in play at all but one reservation.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
Flexibility and adaptability. From the onset, the cohort was slated to have a large portion delivered in monthly virtual sessions. A silver lining of the pandemic has been the much quicker adaptation to collaborating in a virtual setting. Many of our partners were new to Zoom and other video conference platforms and practically overnight, videoconferencing became the norm, so there was little pushback or “struggles” to interact with the cohort in a virtual environment. Additionally, several cohort members utilized their grant funding to purchase videoconferencing and other IT equipment in anticipation of needing the equipment to participate in the virtual learning sessions, which facilitated adaptation to this new normal.
Understanding the problem
The work to date has borne out the accuracy of the assumptions behind our proposal. We are basing this on feedback that we have received from cohort members. The mid-point assessment of cohort members demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with the impacts of the trainings that we have provided. The survey queried members on a wide range of topics. Examples of their responses follow.
• Two-third of participants strongly agreed that they had gained skills and knowledge that can be applied to current work.
• More than three-quarters or participants strongly agreed that they were building one-on-one partnerships with peers.
• Every participant strongly agreed that they felt supported in their efforts to promote homeownership.
• More than three-quarters of participants strongly agreed that they feel more hopeful in their work.
• Nearly ninety percent of participants strongly agreed that this work was adding tools to their home ownership lending efforts.
• Two-third of participants strongly agreed that they had gained skills and knowledge that can be applied to current work.
• More than three-quarters or participants strongly agreed that they were building one-on-one partnerships with peers.
• Every participant strongly agreed that they felt supported in their efforts to promote homeownership.
• More than three-quarters of participants strongly agreed that they feel more hopeful in their work.
• Nearly ninety percent of participants strongly agreed that this work was adding tools to their home ownership lending efforts.
If you could do it all over again...
One piece of advice would be to have patience when implementing a pilot program that adapts in real time. While the cohort meets two times a month, and has been for the last year, it often feels like we are doing it for the first time as each time there is some new tweak or adaption to the format/style/content. However, it does feel like we have hit upon our “golden” formula of structuring each workshopping session by starting with a bit of knowledge/tool/skill sharing with a brief training/presentation, having cohort participants share their expertise via a panel/dialogue (panelist picked in advance) and then having breakout discussion groups to give cohort members a chance to process and determine what works for their organization. This format seems to enable us to get the most out of our time together. Another format that has worked well is having cohort members prepare a presentation to the cohort on their current work/project/issue. Cohort members then share their experiences with a similar issue and brainstorm solutions in partnership with the cohort member that is presenting.
One last thought
Enterprise had our Knowledge Impact Solutions (KIS) group present their survey to the cohort members which turned out to be a very successful session. We had a great last session of the year and floated ideas about what the cohort wanted going forward. The session ended with “shout outs” for appreciation across peers for all the valuable practices and knowledge shared in the NHLCC.
The cohort session November 2020 and the webinars in November and December 2020 were canceled due to the year-end fatigue of cohort participants due to the additional work and stress created by the Covid-19 crisis. Many communities have been riding the wave of opening and then shutting down again. Last Fall, there were huge increases of Covid-19 cases in communities, especially for the nine partner organizations in South Dakota. It felt appropriate to take a mini pause to let everyone catch their breath a minute before year end, and to allow those that needed it the time to grieve. Enterprise has not been immune to the pandemic. Our Native Housing Program officer who grew up in South Dakota lost 11 loved ones from South Dakota during this time.
The cohort session November 2020 and the webinars in November and December 2020 were canceled due to the year-end fatigue of cohort participants due to the additional work and stress created by the Covid-19 crisis. Many communities have been riding the wave of opening and then shutting down again. Last Fall, there were huge increases of Covid-19 cases in communities, especially for the nine partner organizations in South Dakota. It felt appropriate to take a mini pause to let everyone catch their breath a minute before year end, and to allow those that needed it the time to grieve. Enterprise has not been immune to the pandemic. Our Native Housing Program officer who grew up in South Dakota lost 11 loved ones from South Dakota during this time.