Red Hawk Casino tribe builds homes for tribal members
The Red Hawk Resort and Casino is building homes for members of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. The casino says 100% of profits go back to the tribe and it has taken them 15 years to be able to earn enough to give the tribal members their own land.
One of the members who will be getting a house is Tribal Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba.
“I left when I was 18 so I am just returning, I finally got my piece of land and I’ve been waiting for it my whole life. It’s super exciting,” Tayaba said.
They’re not just building homes, they’re also building futures.
“It means a lot to be able to bring tribal members home in one respect, but also building them a home they are going to be in for the rest of their life and generations after that so it’s just a treat all the way around,” Tayaba said.
The tribe is subsidizing 90% of the cost of the homes.
Camille Williams grew up on the land. Now the mother of three will also raise her kids there.
“With generational trauma, I’m the first homeowner in my family,” Williams said. “My own mother unfortunately passed away before construction of the casino so being able to grow my family on the reservation where she brought me home to is very heartwarming.”
There are also plans for an elder village with individual cabins.
“We would have nothing without our elders and you know none of this is for free. Everything we are receiving is off the backs of our grandmothers and we hold our elders very, very high,” Tayaba said.
There are 500 people in the tribe. The goal is to have a home for every tribal member.
Williams said the program is writing a winning legacy for future generations.
“We have a plethora of tribal children and that is our future so we invest and want to grow them and give them the best opportunities we possibly can now that we are able to,” Williams said.