Red Feather Development Group

Loretta Talas proudly points out a photo hanging in her living room. It’s a picture of a visiting Albert Einstein and his wife in front of the Hopi House on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park in 1931.  Members of Loretta’s family were some of the artists employed at that time to demonstrate their crafts to tourists. She says her family moved from Grand Canyon when she was about a month old, and settled in Mishongnovi Village, where her father built the original part of the home out of locally quarried rock. Loretta lived there with her parents and three sisters for many years and eventually added onto the home with her monies. She lives alone in the house today at age 84.

Like many Hopi and Navajo people in America’s Southwest, Loretta is faced with an aging structure and lack of funds to fix it up. Last winter, with numerous leaks in her roof, the ceiling in her bedroom literally collapsed, and just missed her as she walked through the hallway on her way to the kitchen. Luckily, Loretta’s granddaughter knew about Red Feather, an organization that trains tribal community members to maintain and repair their homes, and for the most vulnerable people, helps gather resources, including funds and volunteers, to complete reconstruction work.    

Through Red Feathers low income home weatherization program  workers repaired Loretta’s ceiling so that she can sleep in her bedroom again. However, her home falls into this staggeringly high statistic: 40% of homes on American Indian Reservations are substandard, compared to only 6% in the rest of United States. To be a truly safe and healthy living space, Loretta’s home needs a handrail and a ramp to get her from her bedroom to the kitchen. There is a mold problem in her bathroom that needs immediate attention. And, she needs a heating system. She is currently using portable propane and electric heaters, which are not only expensive to operate, but are also dangerous.

Red Feather is currently working on raising funds to cover the expenses of the improvements Loretta needs.

For more information, contact Terry Lee Smith at [email redacted]

 





Red Feather is a 25-year old 501(c)(3) non-profit that partners with American Indian nations to develop and implement sustainable solutions to the housing needs in their communities.

For Belva Ann Starkey, Sipaulovi Village is home. She grew up there as a child, and after moving away to California and North Carolina, culture and tradition called her back to her roots. Her family’s home didn’t have indoor plumbing until the 1980s, but that didn’t stop her father, who worked for many years as the Foreman for the Arizona State Highway in Keams Canyon, from installing an indoor plumbing system in their home. This was the first of its kind in Sipaulovi. Her father also installed other additions, including a shower and a few extra rooms.

In Starkey’s native Hopi culture, homes serve as both the center of the family unit and an important piece of familial inheritance. Due to Hopi’s matrilineal system, Starkey is charged with the maintenance and inheritance of the home as the family’s oldest daughter.

Recent storms and a faulty installation have caused the roof of the house to fall into disrepair, and other areas of the house (such as the kitchen window) also need fixing. In response, Belva must fulfill her duty in maintaining her family home, and she has turned to Red Feather Development Group to help assemble the necessary resources and ensure the project's quality of workmanship.  

Red Feather is a non-profit which partners with homeowners, community members, and tribal partners to repair and weatherize homes, demonstrate how housing conditions impact health, and assemble professionals, volunteers and materials within the community and outside to address the most urgently needed housing needs.

Belva, her father, and the Starkey family have worked hard to make sure their family home remains the center of family tradition, culture and pride that it has been for generations. By donating to this project, you are supporting the work of Red Feather and empowering Belva Ann Starkey and her family to continue making their family house a home.






*Story and photos were developed by a team of dedicated volunteers from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina who spent two month of their summer living on the Hopi Reservation helping multiple groups and families in various capacities.  Our sincere thanks to Craig Yount, Hunter Dixon, Emma Wetenhall, and Hannah Metwally  for their assistance on this project.

Dear Friends:

Red Feather’s Native Home Resource Network (NHRN) connects families with the resources that they are lacking to make their homes safer and healthier.  

Below, you will find a letter written by our most recent client, the Gomez Family.   The family has donated  a ceramic gloss 17” x 12” serving platter with a southwest pueblo design, which will be raffled at the end of this campaign.  Each dollar donated is chance to win (see picture below).  We appreciate your consideration.   

If you’re a resident of Arizona, you can receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit for your donation to Red Feather, up to $400 individually or $800 if you file jointly.   Your donation may also be claimed as a charitable deduction on your federal income tax.  Please consult a qualified tax advisor for personal tax advice
  
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Humble, hardworking Hopi family, located at the Village of Bacavi, on the Hopi Indian Reservation, Arizona, seek assistance with monetary donations to help complete construction and repairs of their two story addition and repair of their 17 yr. old attached mobile home. The family unit of 8 consists of mother, father, one son age 16, one daughter age 13 and 4 grandchildren ages 4, 5, 6, and 11. The mother and father have had to retain permanent legal guardianship of their grandchildren due to methamphetamine addiction of one of their 3 older children. They also have 3 other grandchildren, which up until recently have moved out of the home. As early as two months ago there were 11 children and grandchildren living in the home for a total of 13 family members in the home. The mother has recently become unemployed in order to better care for the smaller children. With the high cost of raising a family and now with the purchase of school clothes and supplies, vehicle in need of repairs (live 85 miles, one way, from the nearest town to get food and supplies), and in general all the daily needs of family life, have taken their toll both emotionally and financially.

 The two story wood frame addition was started about 2 years ago and is near completion. Remaining to be completed are; a new roof over the existing failed 2nd story roof (due in part to used materials and faulty craftsmanship), replacement of two non-energy efficient windows purchased used at yard sales, trailer skirting replacement, installation of insulation under bedroom flooring, exterior finish work, front door replacement, etc. The mother and father have purchased 90% of all building materials on their own and have been living pay check to pay check in order to get ahead. The father and three sons have done all the construction labor on their own, except for the electrical work. The father attributes his limited skills to his father teaching him and the internet; as it was a “learn as you” go project!

The mother and father are currently looking into the possibility of taking in Hopi foster kids in need and are anxious to get this addition/repairs completed and safe for the children with your generous help. In this way they can give back to the community in appreciation. The family also wishes to try and complete the necessary repairs before November when winter sets in. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

Gomez Family.