Over the past year we have been working closely with the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led non-profit in South Dakota, to provide two BLOCK Homes for their unhoused relatives. They will incorporate these homes into the “Mni Luzahan Village” being built this fall to further part of their mission to “develop Indigenous communities in a regenerative and sustainable manner based on our values and connection to land, culture, and identity”.
We will be shipping two BLOCK Home kits to Rapid City, SD this month and our staff will join NDN in October to assemble the homes so the housing will be ready before the winter weather comes. This is the first time BLOCK Homes will be assembled and placed outside of Seattle. The kits include a few alterations to the building design so that future residents are comfortable in the South Dakota climate. This is a beautiful new phase for all of us, and we couldn’t be more excited!
Leading up to this moment we have been fortunate to build alongside NDN. In August, several members came from all corners of the US to visit our BLOCK Shop and work closely with our team to learn about the beginning stages of BLOCK home production. While here, they attended our Open House celebration for the newest BLOCK Home in the beautiful Magnolia neighborhood to see the home and celebrate with our community.
Our Construction Project Manager Berns shared: “We were very pleased with NDN's visit. We loved building juniper rainscreens and decking with them at the BLOCK shop, and were honored they came to our open house at BH013”. This moment in the evolution of the BLOCK project enables Facing Homelessness to contribute to another aspect of NDN’s mission, “...to decolonize our minds, communities, and sovereign nations. The decolonization of our communities and people is directly related to our ability to prosper. Through the revitalization of our Indigenous ceremonies, culture, languages, and life ways we will continue to strengthen our identity, and break free from the oppressive systems that disconnect us from achieving the healing growth and connection to the spirit that is integral for us as Indigenous people.”
During a shared meal with the whole Facing Homelessness team on the last day of their visit, some very powerful thoughts were expressed and shared amongst all of us; What I believe will stay ingrained in my mind was the idea expressed by our NDN partners of acting as a “Stewards of light”; a spark and a resource. This was a beautiful articulation of their stated mission to “Build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations to exercise our inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the planet.”
What I heard from those conversations felt aligned with what Facing Homelessness aspires to do as well. To provide opportunities for community to use their talents, skills, and compassion to build connection and walk alongside our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Importantly, take that work beyond Facing Homelessness into the broader community . With engaged community we can solve a community crisis like homelessness. As NDN shared, it is not about creating more organizations, it is empowering one another to carry the mission forward and pass it on from community to community.
We are honored to have been invited by NDN to participate in the development of this safe and sacred space by providing BLOCK Homes are more than just four walls and a roof. They represent healing and support not just for Residents but for our communities.
In closing, please see the NDN Collective’s mission statement to give broader context for their work and values. Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned as we continue revealing the new developments in this project!
OUR MISSION
Build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations to exercise our inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the planet.
DEFEND
We must continue to defend our people, communities, and nations against negative resource extraction that poisons our people pollutes our water, destroys our land, contributes to climate change, and violates our human rights. Doing this through organizing our communities, making our voices heard, and utilizing a wide variety of tactics is imperative in shifting the political and financial systems that are impacting our communities.
DEVELOP
We must continue to develop Indigenous communities in a regenerative and sustainable manner based on our values and connection to land, culture, and identity. We need to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We are doing this through regenerative community development, renewable energy investments, and social enterprise development.
DECOLONIZE
We must continue to decolonize our minds, communities, and sovereign nations. The decolonization of our communities and people is directly related to our ability to prosper. Through the revitalization of our Indigenous ceremonies, culture, languages, and life ways we will continue to strengthen our identity, and break free from the oppressive systems that disconnect us from achieving the healing growth and connection to the spirit that is integral for us as Indigenous people.
Clàudia, Berns & Jennifer, University District
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/
and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
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