Highlights from recent projects help tell the story of how and where we work.
Visit our Gallery to see samples of specific deliverables. Use the search bar below to find projects in specific regions, covering certain topics, or with a particular tribe.
All Projects
White Mountain Apache Housing Needs Assessment
Whiteriver, Arizona
The White Mountain Apache Housing Authority (WMAHA) initiated the White Mountain Apache Housing Needs Assessment on behalf of the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) in order to develop forward-looking planning and program management and to identify and measure the needs of communities throughout the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The Tribe selected Big Water Consulting to coordinate the effort and provide training and technical assistance throughout the project. This housing needs assessment included a household survey that collected data from 654 homes on the reservation and had an overall response rate of 97.2%.
2020 Census Outreach and Education (King County and Washington State)
Washington State
Big Water Consulting created a coalition with United Way of King County, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, King County and Pyramid Communications which was funded by the Washington State Office of Financial Management to conduct 2020 Census outreach and education in King County, Washington. The scope of the effort was later expanded to cover the entire State of Washington.
Lac Courte Oreilles Community Assessment
Hayward, Wisconsin
The Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation is a largely wooded area in north-central Wisconsin that is punctuated by lakes, streams and the Chippewa flowage. Big Water Consulting trained the local Survey Manager and field staff to canvass the reservation and update the Tribe’s housing unit map prior to conducting a household survey involving a random sample of 945 housing units on the reservation. A paper survey form was also mailed to off-reservation members living in Sawyer County. An online survey form was also made available to the on-reservation and off-reservation survey respondents via a survey code provided to households included in the sample.
United Native American Housing Association (UNAHA) Meth Testing and Remediation Survey
Pablo, Montana
Big Water Consulting developed and facilitated the Meth Testing and Remediation Survey of United Native American Housing Association (UNAHA) members. This survey was designed to assess the impacts of meth use and manufacturing in tribal housing authority units on the administration of tribal housing programs, including the cost of meth testing and remediation and the exacerbation of existing housing shortages by the temporary removal of meth-contaminated housing units from service. The data collected via this survey will allow UNAHA to inform elected officials and agency staff at the state and federal levels about the extent of the meth problem and provide concrete numbers to funding sources that may be able fund efforts to address this problem.
South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition (SDNHC) Veterans Housing Needs and Homeownership Study
Eagle Butte, Pine Ridge and Sisseton, South Dakota
With support from SDNHC, Enterprise Community Partners and Lakota Funds, Big Water worked with the Cheyenne River Housing Authority, Oglala Sioux (Lakota) Housing, and Sisseton Wahpeton Housing Authority to design and implement the Veterans Housing Needs and Homeownership Study. Data collected through an intercept survey and focus groups conducted on each of the three reservations will enable housing authorities, Tribal Veteran Service Officers and others to identify the housing and service issues most important to veterans and then develop and fund tailored programs that help address these concerns.
Native Village of Barrow Housing Needs Assessment
Barrow, Alaska
The Native Village of Barrow (NVB) is the northernmost community in Alaska, located north of the Arctic Circle. Data collected through a household survey enabled NVB to refine their housing map and illustrated a number of challenges faced by the community, including high costs of living (beyond rent, mortgage, and utilities), limited housing stock, and prevalent overcrowding. Results will be used to engage the Native Corporation and Borough partners in shared planning and provision of services.
Seattle Indian Services Commission (SISC) King County AIAN Housing and Human Services Needs Assessment
King County, Washington
Big Water coordinated with SISC and its partner stakeholders (e.g., United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, Seattle Indian Health Board, Chief Seattle Club, Mother Nation, and Cowlitz Tribal Health Services) to design and implement a study to assess the need for Native housing and other vital services in the urban core of King County, Washington. Information collected through a survey, focus groups, and interviews will help guide the Commission’s planning efforts for supportive services and a new 160-unit affordable housing development.