The huffingtonpost says an over-used two-bedroom one bath modular home that once housed 13 Oglala Sioux on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation now graces the National Mall in Washington, D.C. after being placed in front of the U. S. Capitol April 17 as part of Trail of Hope for Indian Housing. In an attempt to raise awareness about the terrible conditions of housing in Native American communities across the country, Paul Iron Cloud, of the Oglala Sioux Housing Authority, says Pine Ridge has 1,100 adequate homes, needs 4,000, but because of government budget restrictions can only add ten homes a year. While the population grows and housing conditions continue to deteriorate, federal funding for Native American housing has been flat the last several years, and will likely see cuts this year due to sequestration. MHProNews has learned independently that Allen, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation has the lowest per capita income in the U.S.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia–Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)