Help Me to Provide Housing on Rosebud Reservation
Donation protected
I need help to get to a volunteer project on the Lakota reservation in Rosebud, South Dakota. After spending a lot of time on the Standing Rock, Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations in North and South Dakota I have seen firsthand what the shortage of housing is like there. When I was working on Pine Ridge there were few places for me to stay. There are no spare houses to rent. There is only one motel on Pine Ridge that I know of. Some of the time I had to stay at the casino or in a Lutheran Church retreat.
Many of the Lakota people live in FEMA homes. These are small modular homes, trucked in and set on blocks. The quality of the construction is so bad that when there's a hail storm, it can damage the roof and break all the windows. My teacher and his wife on Rosebud live in one of those. Last winter their roof caved in and they had snow in their living room. After the Cyclone Hail Storm and flood of 2019 there were almost a thousand of these homes with damaged and leaking roofs and broken windows.
Many of these FEMA homes are filled with multiple families. In case you aren't aware, Per Capita Income on Pine Ridge is $7,773. The unemployment rate on the rez is 80%. A recent study found the life expectancy for men to be 48 years; and for women to be 52 years. The Pine Ridge Reservation has the highest infant mortality rate in the United States.
I am preparing to help build earthbag homes and sustainable food systems on a ten-acre site on the Rosebud Reservation. Building with earthbags is simple, inexpensive, ecologically responsible and results in structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient.
Now that the weather is warming up, I am preparing to go out on the road to South Dakota (from Seattle, Washington.) I will be taking my travel trailer with me. I need help with gas money to get there. My big monster truck gets about nine miles per gallon, and pulling the trailer I expect to get about six miles per gallon. The shortest route is over 1,300 miles. If I avoid the high mountain passes it might be closer to 1,800 miles.
I will also welcome donations of wheel barrows, shovels, pick axes or anything on this list -- https://unshelteredearth.com/supply-wishlist/ .
Thanks for the support you've given me in the past on my previous trips to the Dakotas. This trip is shaping up to be the most powerful and rewarding one yet. You can be a part of this adventure as I share this journey with you on social media.
More information on our project can be found here: https://unshelteredearth.com .
Many of the Lakota people live in FEMA homes. These are small modular homes, trucked in and set on blocks. The quality of the construction is so bad that when there's a hail storm, it can damage the roof and break all the windows. My teacher and his wife on Rosebud live in one of those. Last winter their roof caved in and they had snow in their living room. After the Cyclone Hail Storm and flood of 2019 there were almost a thousand of these homes with damaged and leaking roofs and broken windows.
Many of these FEMA homes are filled with multiple families. In case you aren't aware, Per Capita Income on Pine Ridge is $7,773. The unemployment rate on the rez is 80%. A recent study found the life expectancy for men to be 48 years; and for women to be 52 years. The Pine Ridge Reservation has the highest infant mortality rate in the United States.
I am preparing to help build earthbag homes and sustainable food systems on a ten-acre site on the Rosebud Reservation. Building with earthbags is simple, inexpensive, ecologically responsible and results in structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient.
Now that the weather is warming up, I am preparing to go out on the road to South Dakota (from Seattle, Washington.) I will be taking my travel trailer with me. I need help with gas money to get there. My big monster truck gets about nine miles per gallon, and pulling the trailer I expect to get about six miles per gallon. The shortest route is over 1,300 miles. If I avoid the high mountain passes it might be closer to 1,800 miles.
I will also welcome donations of wheel barrows, shovels, pick axes or anything on this list -- https://unshelteredearth.com/supply-wishlist/ .
Thanks for the support you've given me in the past on my previous trips to the Dakotas. This trip is shaping up to be the most powerful and rewarding one yet. You can be a part of this adventure as I share this journey with you on social media.
More information on our project can be found here: https://unshelteredearth.com .
Organizer
Daniel Garber
Organizer
Lake Stevens, WA
