Johnson Announces Two Million in Funds for Two Tribal Communities

Washington, DC, October 18, 2007 – U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) announced today that the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Housing Authority will receive Indian Community Development Block Grants totaling $2,000,000 for the development of housing, suitable living environments, and economic opportunities.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe will receive a grant of $900,000. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Housing Authority will receive a grant of $1,100,000. These grants will be administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This funding will help the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate develop viable communities and improve the standard of living for their people,” said Johnson. “Housing conditions on our reservations are deplorable, and this funding will assist the tribes in working to alleviate this situation.”

According to the 2003 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report, “A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country,” approximately 90,000 Native American families are homeless or under-housed. More than 32% of households on American Indian reservations are overcrowded, compared with just 4.9% of all American households.