Bois Forte partners with CERTs for elder home repairs

In the spring of 2026, Clean Energy Resource Teams shipped energy efficiency resources to Bois Forte Band of Chippewa staff to reduce energy costs and improve comfort and safety for residents, with a focus on home repairs for elderly residents. The materials were purchased with the generous support from the Mortenson Family Foundation, and included caulk, various door sweeps, window cling sheets, and foam sealant.

“Fixing up older housing stock can be perpetual and ongoing work,” says Nik Allen, Northeast CERT coordinator. “In 2020, Bois Forte received a CERTs Seed Grant to do just that, and six years later, it was clear they could use more materials.”

Allen connected with Amy Mason, tribal energy director, in 2025 during the celebration of Bois Forte becoming the 150th GreenStep Community. “Amy mentioned the need for small repairs within their housing, especially for some of the elders,” says Allen. “The grant from the Mortenson Family Foundation allowed them to choose the exact materials they needed to reduce energy costs and make the homes a bit more comfortable and safer to live in.” 

Bois Forte manages about two hundred units of housing including forty private homes for elders. They also manage low-rent units, tax-credit units, thirty-two duplexes, three four-unit elder complexes, and one eight-unit elder complex.

“The housing is spread out across the reservation,” says Allen. “This can make implementation tricky, with a lot of drive time between jobs.”

Bois Forte includes Nett Lake, which is the main office area, Palmquist (10 miles from main office), Indian Point (21 miles from main office), Deer Creek (45 miles from main office), and Vermilion (60 miles from main office). 

“We have a team of 12 maintenance techs that complete work on units, two of them are dedicated to elder home repairs,” notes Robbie Goggleye, maintenance director at Bois Forte. “Some of the material we received is seasonal and will be applied in late fall, like the window cling kits. Our community will benefit from materials that help cut their propane costs in winter months.”

“We want to thank the Mortenson Family Foundation and the Clean Energy Resource Teams for their generous funding gift that allowed our Bois Forte Maintenance Department to receive weatherization materials,” says Mason. “These materials are key to improving energy efficiency for our residential homes, especially in supporting work for our elder homes. Improving efficiency in our homes will help us in our efforts to reduce energy costs.”

Allen sees a bright future for Bois Forte’s energy work. “Coupling no-cost, sustainability best practices in the GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations program with targeted upgrades in the housing stock just makes so much sense.”