New roofs and better insulation. Updated appliances, new paint and security improvements. And a sense that it’s all transformative — and overdue.

More than 50 years after the nation’s only Native-preference Section 8 housing project was established, Little Earth in south Minneapolis is undergoing a $50 million remodel that will last two years and cover all of its 212 units.

The work, which started early this year, will be so extensive that some of Little Earth’s more than 1,000 residents will have to move to hotels in phases while it goes on. But most residents are looking forward to the updates.

“It’s about damn time,” said Contessa Ortley, who has lived at Little Earth all her life. “[The units] are so old that it’s good to see them coming over and having some people get in there and actually fix them properly.”

It’s the first remodel of this scale since the housing complex was founded in 1973. 

“It’s just such a big deal that [it] is being invested in this way,” Joe Beaulieu, executive director of Little Earth Residents Association, said of the scale of the investment. “It shows that our people are cared for, they’re cared about, that their safety is important to us, that we want to make sure that our people have better than decent living conditions.”

The complex has a mix of units ranging from studio to four-bedroom units. Funding for the remodel is coming from multiple levels of government — federal, state, county and city — as well as private foundations. 

Minneapolis is kicking in almost $23 million, making it the city’s sixth-most-expensive development project last year, when the money was invested. “[It] really is a precious resource and something that we wanted to preserve,” said Linnea Graffunder-Bartels, senior project manager of Community Planning and Economic Development for the city. “Some of the rehab work that’s going to happen now is replacing systems that have been in place since original construction.”

Little Earth was founded in response to the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which encouraged Native people to leave their reservations and move to cities to assimilate. That left many Native Americans disconnected from their reservations, their families, cultures, traditions and languages. 

Little Earth was founded to provide temporary housing to Native Americans who faced housing discrimination, while also providing them with a culturally connected community. 

“It was so new that it was loved and cherished,” said Cathee Vick, director of housing advocacy at Little Earth Residents Association. “I don’t think it was built to last as long as it has, and I do think people planted their roots because of the fight to get what they got.”

Graffunder-Bartels said the remodel became a priority after a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspection in 2021 that identified urgently needed repairs and improvements. “That inspection result put Little Earth’s rental assistance funding at risk. At that point, HUD said, ‘These things need to be reinvested in, or else,’” she said. 

All Little Earth rental units are eligible for rental assistance. The funding commitments from different levels of the government come with the requirement that that affordability will be maintained till 2057. The new funding will also allow the Little Earth Residents Association to continue its work with those experiencing homelessness and people with disabilities by reserving 22 units for each type of need; these units will also come with supportive services. 

The remodel will take place in a phased manner, Vick said. Residents of some units will be temporarily moved to hotel units while their apartments undergo work.

The remodeling will include better insulation, new windows, repairs, new paint, new roofs, stucco, updated appliances, windows and walls, as well as energy efficiency improvements for water and insulation. It will even provide space for growing food and wildflowers. 

“[It’s] amazing we got it done,” said Tom LaSalle of LaSalle Development Group. “And we have to guard it carefully, especially with what’s going on right now,” he added, pointing to funding cuts in DEI-related projects under the Trump administration. LaSalle’s organization is leading the remodeling work and has also helped put together project funding. LaSalle has been involved in the development of Little Earth housing since its inception. 

LaSalle said that in addition to changing the landscaping of the project, the remodel will include culturally appropriate details such as colors, artwork, and access to more trees and wildflowers. 

The project, like any housing complex, is not without its complications. LaSalle said that density is a challenge because of the number of bedrooms packed in relatively small acreage. Members of multiple tribes represented at Little Earth have cultural differences as well, making for a “difficult social project.”

Talaya Hughes, a resident of Little Earth and an undergrad student at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, is a teen recovery coach who said she wants to help “bring culture back to our community and reconnect our youth to our roots.” She is excited by the idea of better sound insulation and improvements in heating and energy efficiency. But as a young woman, she said, she has safety at top of mind. “Before remodeling, what could have been worked on was the violence here,” she said. 

Drug use and homelessness plague the neighborhood. Little Earth housing is near a large encampment under Hwy. 55, the site of homeless encampments. 

“I don’t think it was built to last as long as it has, and I do think people planted their roots because of the fight to get what they got,” said
Cathee Vick, director of housing advocacy for the Little Earth Residents Association seen on April 21, 2026. Credit: Dymanh Chhoun | Sahan Journal

“It’s difficult,” Vick said. “We don’t want our kids to see this. You can’t go underneath the bridges. You got to walk in the middle of the road.” That’s a big inconvenience for Little Earth residents with family members living in the Red Lake building nearby, or for those going to employment classes at the American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center.

Vick added that conversations are going on about how to address “this very sensitive but needed subject” and come up with possible solutions. “Because we do need help,” she said. 

LaSalle said that the remodel aims to address some of the security issues with AI-driven security that monitors cameras and alerts security personnel to any suspicious activity. 

“We need to give everyone an equal opportunity, and a new renovation is good for the community, to give them a safer environment,” Ortley said of safety issues around her home. ‘“We shouldn’t be discriminated against or less valued than others.” 

It’s May, which means it’s destined to be a busy month at the racetrack. But if you’re looking for other ways to spend your time, look no further than some of the newest shops in the Circle City.

A specialty snack shop opened last month in Carmel, and a new Fountain Square spot is selling vintage and alternative clothes.

Here are four new places to go around the metro area.

What’s opened recently around Indianapolis

Retrograde

1114 Prospect St., retrogradeindy.com, opened April 4

Retrograde, a retail and consignment shop, opened last month on Fountain Square’s main commercial strip. According to the store’s website, Retrograde features punk, rock, emo, alternative and vintage styles with an emphasis on sustainable clothing.

Open Thursday noon to 8 p.m.; Friday noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday noon to 8 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Flavor Bridge

846 S Rangeline Rd, Carmel, opened mid-April

Flavor Bridge, a specialty, build-your-own-bag snack shop, opened in Carmel last month at the City Center. Customers can fill a bag up and pay based on weight or can choose from a gift box with a flat rate. The store will also host monthly events, special holiday themes and limited-edition snack drops.

Open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Nutopia

9538 126th St, Fishers, 317-288-4468, opened mid-March

A nut store recently opened in Fishers on 126th Street. Despite its name, Nutopia offers more than a wide selection of salty snacks. The cafe also serves coffee, matcha drinks and sweets, along with imported treats from the Middle East.

Open Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Avelure Med Spa

8487 Union Chapel Rd Suite 620, aveluremedspa.com, opened earlier this year

Avelure, a medical spa, opened at Keystone at the Crossing. It’s the second Avelure location in the Indianapolis area, joining a store in Greenwood. The spa offers Botox treatments, laser hair removal, facials and other services.

Appointments available. Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

See a store opening or closing in your neighborhood? Contact IndyStar reporter Alysa Guffey at alysa.guffey@indystar.com.

The Raptors and Cavaliers go head-to-head in Cleveland on Sunday for a win-or-go-home Game 7. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Cleveland is favored by 8.5 points, and this game carries a total of O/U 210.5 points.

Let’s dive into my favorite Scottie Barnes player prop for Sunday’s contest.

Best Scottie Barnes prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook

Scottie Barnes 6+ points in the first quarter (-128)

Barnes is averaging 24.2 PPG on 50% shooting in this series vs. the Cavaliers, and a good amount of his damage has come in the first quarter, with Barnes leading the Raptors with 7.2 PPG in the first period. The forward has scored at least eight points in five of these six games, and Brandon Ingram (doubtful, heel) is expected to remain sidelined for Game 7, leaving Barnes with a bigger role than usual.

Barnes has made five starts without Ingram this season, and Barnes is leading Toronto with 7.8 PPG in the first quarter of these tilts while handling a 30.9% usage rate. In all but one of these five games, Barnes has scored at least seven first-quarter points.

The Cavaliers rank 12th in defensive rating of the 16 teams this postseason, and Barnes should get off to a strong start in Sunday’s Game 7.