It is important to recognize that Native communities were America’s first land stewards, holding a deeply interactive and impassioned connection to the natural world. Today, for a variety of reasons, we are now seeing unprecedented, large wildfires across the western United States as well as coordinated efforts to solve that problem. Thus, Red Feather’s collaborative effort to provide firewood to Native families in need is part of a holistic solution to reduce wildfire risks and restore some level of socio-ecological balance. As a housing organization, we could not stand idly by as families faced freezing to death, due to inadequate heating fuel. Recognizing that firewood alone is an imperfect solution to keeping families warm and healthy, we have continued to expand related aspects of our work, such as our retrofits and repairs of roofs, windows, and doors. We have also greatly expanded our heating system improvement program, which has included replacing older, inefficient potbelly-style stoves with modern EPA-certified, clean-burning devices. Additionally, we have installed more than 50 mini-split heat pumps, which produce zero emissions and have the added benefit of providing air conditioning--a growing necessity that few Native families have historically been able to enjoy. We are also installing solar heating furnaces as a supplemental heat source that improves air quality and reduces heating expenses. Our flexible, adaptive programming has allowed us to be quick and nimble during these unprecedented times. When the pandemic swept across Navajo and Hopi lands, we promptly responded by providing hand-washing stations to families without running water in hopes that improving access to hand hygiene would slow the spread of the virus. We have also been able to re-envision our educational classes by developing an on-line suite of videos and instruction materials. Now students can stream or watch DVDs that provide practical strategies for creating healthier living environments. To further advance this work, we are distributing customized, healthy home kits. These do-it-yourself kits can include items such as carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, chimney cleaning brushes, and aging-in-place items. The one constant in all these efforts is the generous trust that all of you place in us. Your continued support of our work allows Red Feather to keep evolving and supporting those in need. For that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With Gratitude,  Red Feather Executive Director Joe Seidenberg
July 2021 For decades, many homeowners on Navajo and Hopi Nations have learned to make do with no running water, broken windows, under-insulated attics and walls, and polluted indoor air from inadequate heating stoves and moldy conditions. It is no wonder that our partner communities have significantly lower life expectancy than other Americans. Enter COVID-19, and these under-reported and ignored disparities helped ignite a wildfire of infections and loss of life. Navajo Chapters and Hopi Villages took aggressive steps to shut down to the outside world, which has helped save many lives. So has an aggressive effort to provide emergency assistance in the form of food, water, face masks, and sanitation supplies, by the nonprofit sector and a host of like-minded citizen groups and compassionate individuals.  Red Feather has focused their energies on deploying a do-it yourself handwashing system to keep families healthy and help save lives. Realizing the virus will likely be with us for some time, we are now cementing plans to move some of our Healthy Housing educational work to an online platform. Participants will be able to stream video content and access resources from the safety of their home. For housing repairs, we are developing more robust safety protocols that will allow us to slowly return to work. Ultimately, waiting for COVID to dissipate entirely before addressing critical housing needs could cause more harm than good. Let us not forget that this past winter, both Navajo and Hopi Nations experienced the closure of a major coal mine, suffering not just economic impacts but the loss of free coal used for home heating. Therefore, we are deploying a multi-prong approach to provide relief, including a collaborative firewood network, educational outreach, and new heating systems to help combat air pollution, which the CDC says can exacerbate COVID.  Red Feather is stepping up to the call of duty during this historic moment in our lives, to ensure that our communities remain resilient. We hope you enjoy the updates in this newsletter and highlight that now, more an ever, your continued support of our work is needed. Sincerely,  It is hard to imagine that 30 percent of Hopi and Navajo families do not have running water in their homes. In response to the increased need for sanitation, Red Feather discovered a do-it-yourself handwashing station developed by California-based nonprofit called LavaMaex. The design consists of two rubber trash bins that move water via a foot pump, providing hands-free operation. The system also allows for 500 hand washings with one fill, which is quite a change for some families that previously relied on a simple basin of water that was shared collectively by household members. Initially, our strategy was to build the systems with a few staff members and as many volunteers as we could solicit. However, we are now also teaching Hopi and Navajo community groups to build the systems themselves, to help meet demand and strengthen local capacity. The work we have accomplished would not have been possible if were not for the generous donations of so many compassionate individuals and partnering entities. Results So Far:
This is Harriet Honhongva-Setalla, I received one of the Hand Washing Stations, I would like to Thank You all so very much. It is a great asset to my family and myself which helps out tremendously for keeping the family sanitized and is easily accessible for all family members. We do not have running water in the home therefore the set-up is helping in conserving water keeping us safe and sanitized “Iss Askwali for considering our family” Thank you so much for the unit I received. It's very useful and we love that it is hands-free when it comes to washing your hands. ASKWALII.....😊” Ivy Gaseoma 2020 Number of homes improved: 16 2020 Total Value of improvements: $64,639 Red Feather’s NHRN program provides case management services to families in need of critical home health and safety repairs. The importance of this program has become even more significant, as we have seen individuals with poor housing conditions suffer complications with COVID-19 at significantly higher levels than those living in well maintained homes. Sadly, our ability to implement housing repairs has been nearly halted to reduce the risk of spreading the virus between our housing repair contractors and families being helped. Additionally, for many months, our partner communities have had strict shelter-in-place rules, along with roadblocks keeping non-residents from entering. However, through strong advocacy and careful planning, we are now starting to get approvals for returning to work. Below are a few pictures from some of the projects we were able to complete prior to and during the virus. Sharon Granger Project:
Sharon Granger’s project was first brought to you back in April. Her house was almost destroyed by fire. She is a single mom with a beautiful son who has special needs (wheelchair dependent). As you can see from the pictures below, the fire almost gutted the entire home. Construction work on the Granger home is still in progress due to the severity of the fire damage, but it is on schedule to be completely remodeled by the end of August 2020.
Loretta Talas Project
Dorothy Humetewa Project:
Your donations help provide critical case management services to families in need.2020 Number of homes improved: 15 2020 Total Value of improvements: $51,000  Gas stove appliances are tested for levels of carbon monoxide exposure.  Just a few days ago, our home weatherization team returned to work after being on hiatus since the outbreak of COVID-19. All safety precautions for family members, Red Feather staff, and contractors were taken to perform the home assessments. We are super grateful to CozyHome, LLC and their crew for hanging with us during these challenging times!  Eli, owner of CozyHome, LLC performing the blower door test to help locate air leaks in the home |
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WORKING WITH HOPI AND DINÉ
COMMUNITIES FOR HEALTHIER AND SAFER HOMES.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The Red Feather program office sits in an area that is sacred to over 14 local tribes, including the Diné, Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, Zuni, Pueblo, and Kaibab-Paiute peoples. Some of these nations are represented among the Red Feather staff, and some not. We humbly acknowledge this area’s Indigenous nations, original stewards and Native descendants who will forever know this place as home. We share a responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, cultures, and histories that make up our community. *Adapted from the Flagstaff City Council land acknowledgement developed by the Indigenous Commission
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