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Rocket Mortgage has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle an unfair lending complaint with a St. Ignatius, Mont. family, according to federal housing officials.
The family, which was not identified in the settlement, filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last summer.
They allege Rocket Mortgage denied their loan application because they are Indigenous, forcing them to accept a higher interest rate from another lender.
Rocket Mortgage denies the allegations, but agreed to pay the settlement.
The company is also required to provide fair lending training to its employees and to pay an additional $30,000 to “programs that improve housing conditions, consumer financial literacy and education, outreach, and homeownership education or counseling for Native Americans.”
A new report about Indigenous children was discussed during a recent U.S. Senate committee roundtable.
The study by the Commission on Native Children makes key recommendations it wants the government to fund.
Yvette Fernandez reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The report called Way Forward addresses several concerns about Native children, ranging from improving prenatal care to limiting drop out rates and teen suicide.
Gloria O’Neil of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council of Alaska chairs the commission.
She says while there are many challenges facing Native communities, it’s also important to celebrate successes.
She mentioned a summer program called a “super fab lab” where students learn new technology to help prepare them for the workforce.
“We bring job skills into that place. So when youth spend time with us after school, during summers, they have a standard of skills that they need to thrive in this world.”
The study showed that more than a third of Indigenous youth live in homes that are unable to afford basic needs.
Watch The U.S. Senate Committee On Indian Affairs Hearing
Courtesy Siċaŋġu Co
As efforts to give a new generation of Lakota youth the gift of their traditional language continue, one school is using technology to make that education easier.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene reports.
In Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, the Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci immersion school has introduced an app to students to bolster their language learning efforts.
Forster Cournoyer-Hogan is operations manager at the school.
“The Uncí Wóslolye app was a partnership between our school, the Maȟpíya Lúta immersion program, and an app developer by the name of Jonathan Lu. Our app this time was going to be more for mathematics, basic vocabulary for fruits, vegetables, food items, and then they get a little bit of vocabulary with learning the sound of our language.”
He says it’s offering real learning opportunities to the student body.
“They get to see characters and avatars that have long braids and having the language accessible on the app as opposed to playing something that’s in English. It just boosts their own confidence. Being able to see themselves in these games, they’re learning along the way.”
But Cournoyer-Hogan says it’s more than just students learning from this program.
“Even then, five minutes a day on the app you’re boosting some vocabulary. You’re boosting some learning regardless. We hope that a lot of people utilize it. It’s a fun time, I enjoy playing it. I’m learning a lot, I’m not fluent – I understand the language some – but as an adult I’ve been learning from the app. It’s an app for everyone, and they’re picking it up quicker than I am.”
The app is available to download for free on Apple platforms, and developers are currently creating a port for Android devices.
Users do not need to be affiliated with a school to use the app.
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