Red Feather Development Group

Red Feather partners with Indigenous communities to develop and implement lasting and impactful housing solutions. We serve the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation in Arizona.

Red Feather has been partnering with Native American communities to help with their housing needs for over 25 years. Taking our name from the Lakota elder who inspired our organization, Katherine Red Feather, we began in 1995 by building new homes using load-bearing straw bale construction, a country-wide network of volunteers, and teaching members of the community along the way. Since 2013, we have developed new programs that are aimed at broadening our impact. Current programs focus on individual and community empowerment and addressing the most critical housing needs - health and safety repairs for low- and very-low income families, reducing energy bills with home weatherization, and supporting the transition from coal-burning heat sources to more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives. Our programs are open to all tribal members living in the reservation communities. Our do-it-yourself workshops are of benefit to all homeowners, and our programs that offer direct assistance with home health and safety repairs prioritize service delivery to elders and the disabled.

Testimonials

"So grateful for all the assistance that Red Feather has given and continues to provide to the Hopi community."

"I am so thankful for the repairs they were able to make to our home by insulating and closing up gaps that allowed water to come into the home. This really helped through the later part of the winter by keeping our home warm and the use of less fuel. Askwali"

"Red Feather is a great partner in serving native people on the Hopi and Navajo Nation. They help people with disabilities and elders with home renovations, weatherizations, and ADA modifications so people with disabilities can have safe and accessible homes to live in."

"As elders, we were in need to install a system that would lessen the physical burden of chopping wood for the winter by an 80 year old and hauling it into the house during this cold weather on Hopi. Red Feather has been assessing the needs for both Hopi and Navajo reservation elder residents for a number of years and have learned some of the best systems that would work in our living environment."

"Red Feather have brought in good local skills to make homes energy efficient... It takes local trained technicians to build needed capacity... Trust for organizations happen by the relationships that become strong in a community. We give thanks to Red Feather for caring for our communities and meeting some important human needs."

"I learned so much from this DIY course! It was awesome, fantastic, amazing!"

"This weatherization course was the first time I have been informed of this kind of information. I learned how to keep my home warm, how to handle mold, and how to maintain my home."