Thunder Valley CDC is offering classes for tribal members designed to help them become homeowners. The Pine Ridge-based community development corporation works to serve the needs of the community.
Thunder Valley CDC has several ways it provides services to tribal members. One is focused on homeownership. Star Means is the Director of Housing and Homeowner Initiative for Thunder Valley. They provide monthly classes for those interested in buying their first home.
“We have nine initiatives here, and one of them is housing and homeownership. So because of the way the economy is here in Pine Ridge, we had to really create spaces for our own people to be able to live.”
Thunder Valley also has a social enterprise initiative such as business development, to create more entrepreneurs and small businesses. Other efforts include food sovereignty, restoring the Lakota Language, regional development, and regional equity.
“Thunder Valley has three classes that we offer our housing and homeownership initiative offers. One of them is Building Native Communities: Financial Literacy. And so in there you talk about creating a spending plan, having savings goals, income expenses.”
Means says when it comes to financial literacy, Tribal Members also get the knowledge they need to not fall into predatory practices.
“…our people fall victim to that because they're the ones predatory lending looks at the poor. They look at the elderly, that's who their focus is.”
Currently, Thunder Valley has 21 single-family houses and 3 of the first seven completed homes are sold.