Our collective path to Native homeownership

South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition

South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition (SDNHOC) is dedicated to increasing homeownership opportunities for Native Americans across South Dakota. Coalition members represent Tribal Nations, federal and state agencies, tribally designated housing entities, nonprofit organizations, housing developers, lenders, and Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

• Project purpose

  Since 2016, we've helped SDNHOC build and sustain a shared data and evaluation system that allows the Coalition to understand and communicate the collective impact of its members, strengthen programs and partnerships, and use evidence to expand resources and opportunities for Native homeownership across South Dakota.

• Objectives

  • Create a consistent, sustainable system for collecting and analyzing homeownership data across Coalition members.

  • Demonstrate the collective reach and impact of reporting members.

  • Build member capacity to collect and use data.

  • Translate data into accessible reports with visualizations and stories for all audiences.

  • Use evidence to strengthen funding and policy advocacy in South Dakota Native homeownership.

• Outcomes

  Longitudinal data has become a foundation for SDNHOC’s growth. SDNHOC secured a $5 million EDA Good Jobs Challenge grant to expand the Construction Internship Program and related workforce initiatives. Additionally, it developed and financed a down payment assistance program, funded by Wells Fargo and the Northwest Area Foundation, which provided $450,000 to 45 homebuyers and supported millions in mortgage lending. The Coalition also demonstrated the limited reach of the federal VA Native American Direct Loan program and helped pass the Native American Direct Loan Improvement Act.

• Timeline

  2016-current

• Project team

  Andrea Mader — Content collection, data analysis, graphic and layout design, creative direction, and data visualization

  Josh Shaugnessy — Content collection and data analysis

  Michael Brydge — Content collection and data analysis

  Nat Bauer — Graphic and layout design, creative direction, and data visualization

“How exciting to finally have proof that we are making an impact.” —Tawney Brunsch, Lakota Funds (SDNHOC Board Member)

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