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Oglala Sioux Lakota Housing Welcomes Independent Forensic Audit




PINE RIDGE, S.D. – While politicians have sparred over the necessity of conducting a costly forensic audit of the Oglala Sioux Lakota Housing (OLSH), the organization itself is welcoming an audit that was ordered by the Oglala Sioux tribal council, according to Chief Executive Officer Raine Little.

Last week, the Oglala Sioux tribal council passed a resolution calling for an “independent forensic audit” of OSLH. The OLSH program is a tribally chartered organization that was separated from the tribe in 2007. Chartered programs can be turned over to the control of local executive boards where they are out of the reach of the tribal council.

Other examples of entities that have done the same include Wounded Knee District School in Manderson and the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation in Mission. These organizations are allowed to solicit goods and services on behalf of the tribe under 638 contracting procedures. Federal dollars can also be utilized by these entities on behalf of the tribal government that has officially chartered it.

The OSLH has already conducted an audit of its finances, however, conflict of interest concerns have been raised during tribalcouncil sessions concerning the relationship between the tribal treasurer, who was independently contracted to oversee the audit, who is related to the CEO. OLSH had sought permission from the Health and Human Services committee to use the tribe’s treasurer prior to the start of the audit that they had self-ordered, according to OLSH.

“We believe that our finances are in order, but we also see this second audit as an opportunity to correct and address any issues that may arise from it. We are focused on finding ways to create more housing for our community members. An audit is something that we can use to show them what we are doing on their behalf and it will also show us the areas where we can be better,” said CEO Raine Little.

Little has been with the organization since 2012, where she worked shortly as a district secretary prior to being named assistant to the late Paul D. Iron Cloud. She assumed the position in September of this year.

“We have just been awarded a grant to help fight suicide in our communities and we are looking forward to sharing more with our stakeholders at our fifth annual Housing Summit that takes place during the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City next month,” added Little.

(Contact Brandon Ecoffey at ecoffeyb@gmail.com)

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