Native America

South Dakota's two biggest cities, Sioux Falls and Rapid City, have embarked on a new, more socially conscious approach to addressing homelessness that relies far more on personal connection than intervention by law enforcement. Both cities are engaging in public-private partnerships that seek to address fundamental issues of homelessness, with a specific focus on aiding Native Americans who are struggling to find safe, secure housing.

Legal and grassroots efforts are continuing in South Dakota to make it easier for Native Americans to vote, including in the upcoming 2022 gubernatorial election. While history has shown that many Native voters have faced disenfranchisement, South Dakota history also shows how important the Native vote can be in close elections.

As healthcare providers and abortion advocates begin to consider that Roe v Wade could be overturned, they're increasingly concerned that terminating a pregnancy will be harder than ever for Native women in South Dakota who already face significant logistical barriers to reproductive services.

The long-range staffing crisis within South Dakota nursing homes is playing out with devastating consequences in Ipswich, S.D., where the town's only nursing home will soon close and an inspection from 2021 revealed serious deficiencies in how residents were cared for and treated.

Supporters of a movement to improve education of Native American students in South Dakota suffered a setback when a proposed charter school measure was defeated in the state Legislature on March 2. But members of an expert panel convened by South Dakota News Watch say they will push forward on efforts to reform public education and create opportunities for better educational outcomes for Native students.

Standardized test scores and graduation rates remain stubbornly low for Native American children attending South Dakota public schools, but a new effort is underway to incorporate Lakota Indian language, history and culture into state-funded charter schools modeled on successful immersion programs elsewhere.

Education, protection of the elderly and upholding Indian history and culture are top issues in the overall agenda of Native American lawmakers during the 2022 South Dakota legislative session. Following bills filed by Native lawmakers and those related to Native issues is one way to see which issues are most important to members of South Dakota's Native community.

A pair of bills now under consideration by the Legislature would allow Native Americans from South Dakota to hunt, fish and visit state parks for free. Supporters of the two bills say passage would reduce financial barriers for South Dakota tribal families and be a show of reconciliation between the state and Indian tribes.

The daycare shortage in South Dakota is most acute in rural and reservation communities where working parents have few options and may have to go to great lengths to get child care and in order to remain in the workforce.

Home heating costs typically rise as winter approaches, but this year, retail prices for propane and heating oil are almost double last year and still rising, placing another burden on South Dakota families already enduring high prices for gasoline, groceries and other goods. Some experts worry that unsafe heating methods could result and that fire risk will increase.