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
Big Valley Rancheria Community Needs Assessment
Lake County, California
Big Valley Rancheria is home to the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, descendents of the Xa-Ben-Na-Po Band of Pomo Indians that have inhabited the Clear Lake area of present-day California for thousands of years. The Big Vallery Rancheria Community Needs Assessment seeks to gather data on the housing and other programming needs of Big Valley residents and Tribal members. The needs assessment will also inform renovations to rental housing being conducted by Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab at MASS Design, a Native-owned architecture firm.
Ending Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) Surveys
UNAHA received the Ending Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) grant from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) to assist member Tribes and TDHEs in designing and implementing Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs.
Dry Creek Housing and Homelessness Needs Survey
The Dry Creek Housing and Homelessness Needs Survey will identify the range of housing needs and support services for the members of the Dry Creek Rancheria.
Flathead Indian Reservation Housing Needs Assessment
The Salish & Kootenai Housing Authority is working with Big Water Consulting to convene a regional coalition of governments and non-profit organizations to address the housing crisis facing the Flathead Indian Reservation. The Housing Needs Assessment will collect actionable data that communities can use to plan for future housing and community development projects.
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Community Needs Assessment and Housing Fabrication Facility Feasibility Study
Fort Hall, Idaho
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are federally-recognized tribes residing on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, located in the eastern Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho near the town of Pocatello, Idaho. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall comprise the eastern and western bands of the Northern Shoshone and the Bannock, or Northern Paiute, bands. After the success of the 2016 Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Community Needs Assessment, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have launched the 2021 Shoshone-Bannock Community Needs Assessment and Housing Fabrication Facility Feasibility Study.
Use-Related Methamphetamine Contamination in Managed Housing
In cooperation with Seven Sisters Community Development Group (Seven Sisters) and the Salish & Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA), Big Water Consulting conducted research to evaluate the spectrum of current standards for safe or acceptable levels of use-related methamphetamine contamination in managed housing to facilitate SKHA’s development and adoption of new meth standards and policies. Big Water Consulting reviewed available scientific literature and legal standards to provide a comprehensive summary of the standards for safe use-related methamphetamine contamination levels in occupied housing units that have been adopted by local, state, and federal agencies in the United States and other countries, as well as a comprehensive review of how each standard was evaluated and finalized.
Maui Homelands Needs Assessment Project
Kula, Maui
The vision of Pā‘upena Community Development Corporation (CDC) is to fulfill Prince Kūhiō’s century-old dream for native Hawaiians to reconnect with Waiohuli ahupua‘a in thriving agricultural and pastoral communities, and to share this paradigm throughout the pae ‘āina (archipelago). Pā‘upena CDC launched the Maui Homelands Needs Assessment project in February 2020 in collaboration with a number of native Hawaiian homestead organizations and participating staff from the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL). The project will include a representative household survey involving native Hawaiian households in each of the homestead areas on Maui, a random sample of native Hawaiians on the DHHL waiting list for land leases for Maui, focus groups with community members, community meetings and interviews with knowledgeable local and state-level sources.
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.
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.
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Tribal Needs Assessment
Fort Hall, Idaho
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are federally-recognized tribes residing on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, which is located in the eastern Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho near the town of Pocatello. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes 2016 Tribal Needs Assessment includes a Household Survey, Homeownership Survey, and a Youth Survey. This project helped the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes launch their Tribal Homeownership Opportunities Program (THOP) which coincided with the launch of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). The findings from this project will continue to help the tribal government and its programs attract new funding, better plan for tribal programs, improve services, and address homebuyer readiness through preparation courses.