Making Forever Homes Possible in Lac du Flambeau

Oweesta Corporation Success Story

Patti Maulson was ready to rebuild her life after going through a divorce that left her bankrupt. A tribal member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe, she decided to return home to the reservation and become a homeowner once more.

With the bankruptcy fresh on her credit report, she couldn’t qualify for a loan through most banks. That’s when she reached out to Wisconsin Native Loan Fund (WINLF), a local Native CDFI servicing all eleven Tribes in Wisconsin. In a letter, Patti laid out the circumstances that led her to declare bankruptcy and the reparative steps she had been taking since then to rebuild.

Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, like many Native CDFIs, are usually the only non-predatory lender available to Native communities. And like many Native CDFIs, their mission as a lender is to uplift Native communities through fair lending and personalized financial education.

“We’re a hand up, not a handout,” said Janice St. Germaine, Director of Lending at Wisconsin Native Loan Fund (WINLF). “Not many people own their own homes. It’s not taught to own land on or off the reservation.”

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