But for the first time since she moved in, Mrs. Red Hail has cause for hope. Native American reservations around the country are preparing for a dramatic shift in who decides how federal housing dollars are spent. For the first time, the responsibility for spending federal money will be put in the hands of tribal governments. Nationwide, more than 100,000 native American families are homeless or live in substandard housing. Many single-unit homes contain three or more families.
Some families live in cars and tents.
Set to take effect Oct. 1, Congress's Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 mandates block-grant funding to the tribes. That will replace the housing department current system of distributing grants limited to specific purposes and projects. There are also new incentives for banks to start making loans more comparable to those given to the general population. More than 100,000 native american families on reservations are homeless or living in substandard housing. These children on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota welcome the summer, when they can come out from their overcrowded house.