MINNEAPOLIS — Red Lake Nation and design firm Cuningham have completed Mino-bimaadiziwin Affordable Housing, a 110-unit affordable housing development located in the American Cultural Corridor of Minneapolis. Mino-bimaadiziwin means “living the good life” in Ojibwe. The nearly $42 million project provides housing to Red Lake Ojibwe Band members and other local Native American residents. It is the first housing project developed by a tribal government in a major city, according to Sam Olbekson, founder and CEO of Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design LLC as well as a Cuningham consultant.
The six-story development features a Red Lake Nation embassy and healthcare clinic in addition to the housing units. Project funding came from the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and 15 other sources. The project was built on a site that formerly served as a temporary navigation center for unsheltered residents in response to an encampment of over 300 people called the Wall of Forgotten Natives. The Cuningham team collaborated closely with the Red Lake Ojibwe community members on the property’s design.