Pauletta Red Willow founded and is the Director of Maggie’s House, a facility providing help for youth that have aged out of the foster care system.

Their mission: “It is the goal of Maggie’s House to provide a safe and stable environment enriched with culturally appropriate and evidence based services to youth aging out of foster care, trafficked, homeless, parenting teens, and young adults ages 17-21”. 

The home is in the former Cangleska building which was the original domestic abuse shelter on PRR. She refurbished the building with grant money and they can serve up to 12 clients. There are 3 employees, one teaches Lakota culture in the hopes clients will return to practicing their Lakota traditions and values. Pauletta was in charge of the tribal foster teen youth center that served teens aged 13-17 in the town of Pine Ridge for 10 years. She works on Standing Rock Reservation and also teaches at Oglala Lakota College (OLC).  She helps find missing and murdered Native American women through her work. She felt there was a need for this new age group because so many were homeless and/or have struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.  Maggie’s House had to temporarily close due to Covid but have continued to help clients with food, toiletries and other needs using funds from the CARES program. 

Services offered include assessments in education, substance abuse, legal issues, human trafficking, behavioral health services, physical, dental, and vision. Its focus is to assist Lakota young adults in developing independent and productive life skills.

Some of the classes offered as part of their transitional living and training program:

  • American Indian Life Skills
  • Driver’s License Prep
  • Relationship Skill Building
  • Lakota Culture
  • Local and native developed curriculums
  • Parenting
  • Mentoring

As a Lakota-operated organisation, it is dedicated to improving the lives of youth in crisis and helping them create a long term future.

Maggie’s House needs updates to the building which will be funded through by Lakota Friends Circle and its generous donors. The repair work will be overseen by Reservation Outreach.

Thanks to a wonderful group of donors, we were able to finance all the repairs to their building.

Maggie’s House is located at the heart of the Pine Ridge Reservation.

15 Wasuya Ave.

P. O. Box 286

Kyle, SD 57752