Homeless Indians Outside Kyle, S.D., Seek Small Comforts Story-Date: 07:32 a.m. PST Sunday , September 7, 1997 Homeless Indians Outside Kyle, S.D., Seek Small ComfortsIndian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News KYLE, S.D.--Sep. 8--They live six miles southwest of Kyle, S.D. in two tents and a small travel trailer. Their belongings are piled up in their cars and they sit at a wooden picnic table. It would be just like camping, if they had a place to go home to. ``We've never lived this way before,'' said Chauncey Loafer. Chauncey and his wife Marie are considered to be elders by the Lakota, and yet they're homeless on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Chauncey is 66 years old, Marie is 62, and their daughter, a former Miss Oglala Nation, Nancy is 28. They became homeless on July 24, 1997, when they were evicted from a home which belonged to Little Wound School housing; both Mr. Loafer and his daughter were no longer employed by the school and had to leave. It didn't turn out the way they thought it would. The jobs they thought they had, they didn't get. They are still unemployed, even though Mr. Loafer and his daughter have bachelor's degrees. They say they have tried to get jobs elsewhere, but to no avail. Mr. Loafer has his degree in Lakota Language and History, his daughter has her degree in elementary education. They graduated from Oglala Lakota College in June 1997. They have to haul their own water from a neighbor's house and Mr. Loafer says they don't have enough containers to hold the water. Usually they save their water for drinking or cooking, there's never enough for the luxury of a bath. Mr. Loafer says he hasn't had a shower since July and that they can only take sponge baths. A brother-in-law and a niece provide some meals, but they have cut their meals down to one a day. ``We eat twice a day if we're lucky, all we have is a Coleman camp stove, so it's hard,'' said Mr. Loafer. Mr. Loafer says his wife is susceptible to colds and worries about her health. ``I can handle it, being a veteran, but my wife and daughter can't, it's hard for them,'' he adds, ``I'm afraid my wife or my daughter will become sick.'' The Loafers have a hard time coping emotionally, their new life is a shock to them. ``I'm losing hope in a way,'' said Mr. Loafer. ``It hurts being kicked aside,'' he said. The weather has been unpredictable this month and it has rained many times over Kyle. ``I dread rain, when I see lightening I pray that it won't come toward us, but it does,'' said Mr. Loafer. The family has a running vehicle, but doesn't have the money for gas. ``It's hard to get around to look for help because we don't have any money,'' said Mr. Loafer. They have applied for a home through the Oglala Sioux Housing Authority (OSHA) and Mr. Loafer says he has been on the list for thirteen years. OSHA has 900 households on their waiting list for Mutual Help and low-rent housing units. According to the BIA, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was home to 38,426 people in 1996. The BIA also estimates the unemployment rate at close to twenty five percent. Many households take in homeless relatives. According to the OSHA the household size on Pine Ridge is higher than in other areas, thirty percent had three or four more persons, while forty-three percent have five or more. The higher household average can be attributed to the Lakota tradition of extended families, but the shortage of available houses for sale or rent on the reservation is significant. The shortage may force many households to keep homeless family members. ``I don't know what we'll do this winter, it's coming up fast,'' said Mr. Loafer. Mr. Loafer requests any kind of help possible. He is also requesting the use of an army squad tent to put his furniture under. ----- Visit Indian Country Today on the World Wide Web at http://www.indiancountry.com/ ----- (c) 1997, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------------------------------------