South Dakota’s nine Tribal Reservations have received a $5 million federal grant to address a severe housing shortage on Tribal lands.
The Building Jobs, Buildings Homes for All grant application says the Indigenous home building industry cannot grow and provide much-needed housing to Tribal communities without a skilled workforce. As the lead for the Building Jobs, Building Homes project, Lakota Funds will address a severe housing shortage on Tribal lands by training Indigenous people in construction trades and as certified appraisers and inspectors. The application says in partnership with South Dakota State University, Lakota Funds will implement a certified appraiser program, addressing a significant barrier to housing construction on Tribal lands. To support this underserved population, Lakota Funds will provide a variety of wraparound services during training.
The grants were funded by the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. A total of 32 grants were awarded– from a competitive pool of 509 applicants— as part of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge funded by the American Rescue Plan.
Also included is $9,621,600 for Ignite Initiative Regional Workforce Training System in North Dakota and the Minnesota border region for Agriculture and Food Production; Information Technology and Manufacturing. The Chamber Foundation, in collaboration with backbone organizations Grand Farm Research and Education Initiative (agriculture and food production), North Dakota State College of Science (manufacturing), and Emerging Prairie (information technology), will bolster the county’s economy by developing the skilled workforce needed to support the local agriculture, manufacturing, and technology industries.
The Good Jobs Challenge enables communities to invest in innovative approaches to workforce development that will secure job opportunities for more than 50,000 Americans. The funding will support a broad range of sectors— including agriculture and food production, energy and resilience, healthcare, manufacturing and information technology.
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