It encompasses all of Shannon County, which is the poorest county in the nation , and parts of Jackson and Bennett Counties. The Lakota Fund, one of the key partners, was started to provide capital and technical assistance on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is the major lending institution in an environment where most people do not have access to credit or savings institutions . The Reservation has a higher rate of diabetes, alcoholism, heart disease, road accidents, other accidents, and suicide than the American Indian population as a whole and all other races. The infant mortality rate is higher than the national average, and the tuberculosis rate is eight times higher.
Alcoholism affects nearly every family on the reservation.
The Lakota have the lowest life expectancy of any group in America. With the implementation of the strategic plan, the community strives to balance economic and community development. Partnerships Established a partnership with HUD and other organizations to develop and implement a Reservation based-system of financing to purchase homes or for home improvements. Leveraging The Oglala Sioux Tribe has obtained a lot of federal funding but it is spread out among several agencies. Non financial resources are drawn from both inside and outside the Tribe.