NEWS RELEASE: June 5, 2023
Contact:
Scott Engmann
Executive Director
Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity
605-348-9196
Scott@blackhillshabitat.org
Black Hills Area Habitat Celebrates Completion of Home for Local Family
Rapid City, SD – June 5, 2023. For Elana, a 33-year old single mom, obtaining a home of her own means security, relief, and letting go of the fear that she will be evicted from apartments and become homeless due to escalating rents. Her home dedication took place on May 25.
Elana was born in Rapid City and grew up in the middle of nine children. When she was 13-years old, she watched with awe as her mother purchased a Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity Home in the Sioux Addition. She recalls with pride the initial blessing of the lot, the raising of the walls, and the home being built to completion.
Elana said that her great grandmother, Cecelia Montgomery, was a housing/land activist and one of the women who were instrumental in finding a resolution to the “Act of 1948” land violations. According to a Vantage Point Historical Services essay, in 1952, 20 acres of property north of Rapid City was purchased and many Native families moved to the plot, Sioux Addition, following the dismantling of the Osh Kosh Camp in 1954. The Sioux Addition Civic Association now presides over the housing addition.
A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a single mother of two (a boy and a girl), Elana also cares for three nephews. She has a reputation for caring for her large family and for her community. Her children range in age from 2 – 18. She works as a Community Health Representative with the Oglala Sioux Tribe/Rapid City area, and she comes from a long line of Native Americans and is a proud direct descendent of Chief Sitting Bull.
Elana’s 7-year old son suffers from respiratory problems and was diagnosed with three different disabilities. She had moved from over-crowded apartment to over-crowded apartment trying to escape escalating rents, smoking neighbors, and seeking healthier air for her child. When her grandmother passed away in 2019, Elana knew she needed to change her life. She applied for a Habitat home in 2021.
To qualify for the Habitat homeowner program, she proved that she had a need for housing. She proved she met the income eligibility for a home loan. She was willing to put in the 250 hours of sweat equity, contributing to the construction of her home as well as the homes of other Habitat Partner Families. And she was willing to participate in the required educational programs on financial management and home maintenance. Elana will make monthly mortgage payments, which will help fund homes for future Partner Families.
When it came time for her home site selection, she was given two choices. One happened to be in the Sioux Addition. She did not think twice. She knew she wanted to go home.
She is now moving back to her childhood neighborhood and her children will live right next to their grandmother. “This will have a huge impact on my children,” she said. “This is a life-changing opportunity that will allow my children to grow up as I did with a safe yard and healthy environment. I look forward to planting a garden and going back to college to finish a degree in social work. I’ll no longer have to live in fear of being homeless with my children.”
It is a dream come true for Elana, already Vice President of the Sioux Addition Civic Association, where she will now own a home on the land her great grandmother helped secure over 70 years ago.
Funding for Elana’s home came from affordable housing organizations in addition to BHAHFH funding. Elana was awarded a sizeable down payment grant through the Housing Improvement Program offered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The SDHDA Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) grant for down payment assistance awarded to (Habitat) provided an additional down payment grant. GROW South Dakota funds were also utilized for the purchase of Elana’s home.
In addition to these supporting programs, Habitat relies on individual donors along with faith communities, foundations and corporations who each provide layers of financial support that ensure homes are affordable for every future homeowner. The gap between what homes cost, their market value, and what many people can afford is only growing, and Habitat needs more partnerships to expand and assist increasing numbers of people in need of affordable homeownership.
“Today is a victory for one more of our partner families in need of a hand up. Since our founding in 1990, more than 650 people have been strengthened through affordable homeownership and critical home repairs,” said Scott Engmann, Black Hills Area Habitat Executive Director. “A decent home gives families the strength, stability, and independence they need to create a better life for themselves and their families. This strengthens the entire community.”
About Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity
A nonprofit Christian housing organization dedicated to creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live, Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity (BHAHFH) brings together people with resources and people in need of a hand up to build and repair simple, decent, affordable homes. BHAHFH has served over 340 families locally and globally since 1990. BHAHFH ReStore helps raise funds through items donated and sold to serve additional families in the Black Hills area. Call 348-9196 for store and donation hours. For more information, visit www.blackhillshabitat.org or call 348-9196. Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity is a United Way member agency.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand-up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering, or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.