The US Department of Agriculture’s Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, Anne Hazlett visited the Pine Ridge Reservation to meet with Four Bands Community Fund, Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial, and other regional partners to discuss the launch of a pilot program to increase homeownership opportunities on tribal lands. Through the 502 Relending Pilot, USDA Rural Development is partnering with Four Bands and Mazaska to deploy a total of $2,000,000 to eligible Native American homebuyers located in tribal communities of South Dakota and North Dakota. According to USDA, Four Bands’ and Mazaska’s deep ties in local communities will help them to reach homebuyers more effectively than other lenders.
Four Bands Board Vice-Chair, Donita Fischer, was on site to accept a special certificate in recognition of our partnership with USDA Rural Development. We are excited about this new development that will help us grow our home lending program!
To learn more about our plans on implementing the USDA 502 Relending Pilot, take a look at this article in Native Business.
Read the Article
Thanks to the US Department of Agriculture for contributing photos of Ms. Hazlett’s visit!