Opinion

Elsie Meeks: Group promotes homeownership on reservation





Elsie Meeks, the State Director of the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development in South Dakota, discusses homeownership in Indian Country:
Everyone knows that becoming a homeowner in Indian Country can be challenging. Several news stories in the past several months have pointed this out. Results from a survey this year, conducted by Great Plains Native Asset Building Coalition, revealed that obstacles to homeownership in Native communities in South Dakota include, but are not limited to:

■ Homebuyer readiness of clients (70 percent).

■ Infrastructure delays (66.7 percent).

■ Lack of local lenders (60 percent); lack of housing inventory (60 percent).

On June 27, a diverse group of key stakeholders came together to find solutions by exploring the creation of a statewide coalition to promote Native homeownership in South Dakota.

Get the Story:
Elsie Meeks: Promoting Indian homeownership in state (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 7/16)

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