American Indian Culture and Research Journal

The National Commission on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing issued its final report in June 1992. After months of investigation and public hearings, the commission presented a “disturbing and urgent message. Simply put, the majority of this country’s first residents continue to live . . . in substandard housing.” This is a charitable conclusion. The commission was forced to rely on census data a decade out of date as well as Bureau of Indian Affairs housing inventories of questionable inclusiveness. According to Representative Henry Gonzales, chairman of the House committee that oversees much of Indian housing, “the situation in which Native Americans find themselves with respect to housing is beyond that of a destructive cycle; its genocidal, and it’s unpardonable.” The commission’s report is entitled “Building for the Future: A Blueprint for Change.” An overview of the report and the current status of Indian housing are the subjects of this commentary. The commission chairman, George Nolan (Chippewa), provided a comprehensive introduction. He noted that Native Americans are often denied effective access to the housing assistance- ”entitlements”-that is readily available to other Americans.