Housing Conditions and Homelessness

§         The small BIA/Tribal Housing Authority homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation are overcrowded and scarce, resulting in many homeless families who often use tents or cars for shelter.  Many families live in old cabins or dilapidated mobile homes and trailers.

§         According to a 2003 report from South Dakota State University, the majority of the current Tribal Housing Authority homes were built from 1970-1979.  The report brings to light that a great percentage of that original construction by the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) was “shoddy and substandard.”  The report also states that 26% of the housing units on the Reservation are mobile homes, often purchased or obtained (through donations) as used, low-value units with negative-value equity.

§         Even though there is a large homeless population on the Reservation, most families never turn away a relative no matter how distant the blood relation. Consequently, many homes often have large numbers of people living in them.

§         In a recent case study, the Tribal Council estimated a need for at least 4,000 new homes in order to combat the homeless situation.

§         There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home (a home which may only have two to three rooms).  Some larger homes, built for 6 to 8 people, have up to 30 people living in them.

§         Over-all, 59% of the Reservation homes are substandard.

§         Over 33% of the Reservation homes lack basic water and sewage systems as well as electricity.

§         Many residents must carry (often contaminated) water from the local rivers daily for their personal needs.

§         Some Reservation families are forced to sleep on dirt floors.

§         Without basic insulation or central heating in their homes, many residents on the Pine Ridge Reservation use their ovens to heat their homes.

§         Many Reservation homes lack adequate insulation.  Even more homes lack central heating.

§         Periodically, Reservation residents are found dead from hypothermia (freezing).

§         It is reported that at least 60% of the homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation need to be burned to the ground and replaced with new housing due to infestation of the potentially-fatal Black Mold, Stachybotrys.  There is no insurance or government program to assist families in replacing their homes.

§         39% of the homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation have no electricity.

§         The most common form of heating fuel is propane.  Wood-burning is the second most common form of heating a home although wood supplies are often expensive or difficult to obtain.

§         Many Reservation homes lack basic furniture and appliances such as beds, refrigerators, and stoves.