Minnesota
Riverlands
Lower Sioux Breaks Ground on Hempcrete Elder Home
A $350,000 grant supports a home that will also serve as a sustainable-building research project
The Lower Sioux Indian Community and housing partners celebrated a groundbreaking on October 8, 2026, for a new hempcrete elder home on Tribal trust land.
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund announced a $350,000 Innovation Fund grant to Green Buffalo Institute in support of the project. Partners include the Lower Sioux Indian Community, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership and Dakota Finance.
The home will also provide a real-world research opportunity. University of Minnesota researchers plan to compare energy performance and indoor air quality with two conventionally built homes. The findings could help evaluate whether hempcrete offers practical advantages for future affordable housing.
The groundbreaking marks a construction milestone, not completion of the home or a final result from the research.
Minnesota Riverlands follows Lower Sioux community initiatives and housing announcements to highlight developments that may matter beyond a single neighborhood.