The grants to indian tribal governments program assists tribal governments, and authorized designees of tribal governments, to 1) decrease the incidence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual…

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women has awarded a $1,205,227 Project Grant under the Violence Against Women Discretionary Grants for Indian Tribal Governments program (CFDA 16.587) to the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai, Idaho. This 36-month grant will enable the Nez Perce Tribe's Uyit Kmti (New Beginnings) program to: 1) Maintain and increase staffing capacity and training for staff and community response team partners; 2) Increase accessibility to mental health services for survivors; 3) Provide legal assistance; 4) Provide support for basic needs, emergency shelter, and other crisis intervention services; 5) Provide transitional housing assistance including utility and deposit assistance; and 6) Develop education and prevention strategies to understand and reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking within the tribal community. The grant aims to decrease the incidence of these violent crimes, strengthen the tribe's sovereign authority to respond, and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.

The grants to indian tribal governments program assists tribal governments, and authorized designees of tribal governments, to 1) decrease the incidence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, SEX trafficking, and stalking in tribal communities; 2) strengthen the capacity of tribes to exercise their sovereign authority to respond to these violent crimes; and 3) ensure that perpetrators of these violent crimes are held accountable for their criminal behavior. The NEZ perce tribe is a federally recognized tribe located in north-central idaho at lapwai. Uyit kmti (new beginnings) program, an agency of the NEZ perce tribal government, works to address violence against american indian/alaska native women by providing comprehensive victim advocacy services, effective community education activities, emergency shelter, crime victim compensation assistance, crisis intervention, counseling support, legal advocacy, and cultural support to victims through awareness, prevention, and collaboration on issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking. With this funding, uyit kmti will: 1) maintain and increase staffing capacity and training for staff and community response team partners; 2) increase accessibility to mental health services for survivors; 3) provide legal assistance; 4) provide support for basic needs, emergency shelter, and other crisis intervention services; 5) provide transitional housing assistance including utility and deposit assistance; and 6) work in cooperation with the communities on the NEZ perce reservation to develop education and prevention strategies to understand and reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking, and the impact of these crimes on the tribal community. The NEZ perce tribe has partnered with uyit kimti board, a community advisory committee which includes women from the community to be served by the project, to plan this project. The timing for performance of this new award is 36 months.