Ronna called today, we weren't home but I called hr back as soon as I could. We talked for quite a while and this is what I learned from the conversation. Here phone number is 413-883-0905 She was at Samantha's apartment and would be there tonight. So if you would like to contact her, this is what I know.
Her four youngest children are in foster care and have been for almost 2 year. They are trying to adopt them out saying that they are not Native American. She said that to be a member that had to have been born in North Dakota. They changed the law, so that you have to have so much Indian blood. She has sen the enrollment papers back to North Dakota. She aid that she is going to court in February.
The four children in foster care are:
Brandon is 13, he is with a single father. She has seen him at a meeting and I think she felt o.k. about him.
Jennifer is 11, and Angelina is 6 they are with a Puerto Rican family.
Rebecca is 4, she is with a white family. She doesn’t see her often(even at the visits) She said she is sick a lot and is quite thin.
She said it would be 2 years in March since I think they have been in foster care, and I don’t think there is much of anything she can do without the tribes help.
Brian is 18. He is with Samantha and dropped out of school. She said he is depressed.
Steven is 21 and in jail for 1 years. He will be out in February. He has a drug problem and is in a rehab program.
Samantha is 23. Her first child Nathan is 6 he is with the father and they haven’t seen him since his birthday. Her second child, Isaiah is 5 years old, third son Jadon is 3 years old and fourth is George is 3 months old. She lives with a Puerto Rican, George. He works for Big Y, which is a grocery store. He is the father of the last three. She says they are getting married this coming year. She is going to a community college there, in liberal arts program.
Ronna is living in a homeless shelter in Springfield. It is 2 hours for her to get to Chicopee by bus. She takes care of the children when George is working and Samantha is in school.
If she had children she would have a better chance at housing, they must wait years for housing.
Her address is:
Ronna Neidlinger
% Samantha Neidlinger
40 Abby St. 2-R
Chicopee, MA 01013
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