There is a housing crisis in Indian country. The relative poverty still experienced by these blended families is best understood as the gap between the overall need and the need that goes unmet. In order to survive, extended families pool their meager resources as a way to meet basic needs. Often, heads of household are forced to leave the reservation to seek work, and grandparents take on the role of raising their grandchildren. The disparity for American Indians living below poverty on the reservations is even greater, reaching 38% to 63% in our service area (2006, National Center for Education Statistics, and other sources). The overall percentage of American Indians living below the federal poverty line is 28.2% (2008, American Indians Census Facts). Among American Indians who are employed, many are earning below poverty wages (2005 BIA American Indian Population & Labor Force Report). The scarcity of jobs and lack of economic opportunity mean that, depending on the reservation, four to eight out of ten adults on reservations are unemployed. Many households are overcrowded and earn only social security, disability or veteran's income. Typically, Tribal and Federal governments are the largest employers on the reservations. It is impossible to succinctly describe the many factors that have contributed to the challenges that Native America faces today, but the following facts about the most pressing issues of economics, health, and housing give a hint of what life is like for many first Americans.
Living conditions on the reservations have been cited as "comparable to Third World," (May 5 2004, Gallup Independent). About 22% of our country’s 5.2 million Native Americans live on tribal lands (2010 U.S.
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