Homes That Change Lives™ (HCL) is a d/b/a of The Circle of Nations, Inc. (CNI), which was incorporated in 1996 as a national Native American community development network to promote self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship among Native Americans and promote the positive aspects of Native American culture. Between 1996 and 2007, CNI participated in several programs including the TRIBE Project (Technology Resources to Improve Basic Education); which was designed to transfer donated computer hardware and software to educational institutions on reservations; a partnership with Today’s Native American Television Program to broadcast programs that showcased exemplary Native American leaders and artists and increased awareness of Native American culture in the general public; and a partnership with Moccasin Path Productions to produce an award-winning and highly successful documentary film series called “My Ancestor’s Voice”, which preserves the traditions of Native American culture by documenting elders and their time-tested wisdom on film.

As the founders of CNI participated in these projects, they became acutely aware that, while these innovative projects were helping members of the Native American community to improve their lives in specific areas, a bigger issue - lack of adequate housing - was always there under the surface, preventing people from truly achieving any kind of lasting self-sufficiency or financial well being. Regardless of any other service or program provided, Without adequate housing, the path to self-sufficiency would likely be a dead-end for all races, genders and ages. In further researching the issue of lack of housing, the founders learned that not only Native Americans, but also members of all disadvantaged and special needs populations, lacked adequate housing, without which they would never be able to become truly self-sufficient.