The tribal sexual assault services program (TSASP), which is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12511(E), is one of five grant programs funded within the sexual assault services program (SASP)

The Tolowa Dee-Ni Nation was awarded a $610,000 federal Project Grant under the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (CFDA 16.024) by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. This 3-year grant will support the tribe's efforts to create, maintain, and expand sustainable sexual assault services for adult, youth, and child victims within their tribal lands in Northern California and Southern Oregon. The grant funding will be used to provide culturally sensitive counseling, victim advocacy, accompaniment, community outreach, and other support services to address the unique needs of Native American sexual assault survivors. The project aims to improve access to services, reduce stigma, and enhance coordination between the tribe's programs and local law enforcement and victim service providers.

SASP was created by the violence against women and department of justice reauthorization act of 2005 (vawa 2005) and is the first federal funding stream dedicated solely to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. Overall, the purpose of SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, non-offending family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. TSASP supports projects to create, maintain, and expand sustainable sexual assault services provided by tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit tribal organizations within indian country and alaska native villages. With this funding, the tolowa DEE-NI nation (TDN ) is a federally recognized indian tribe. TDN is located 3 miles south of the oregon-california border in northwest california. The primary service area and the proposed service area for this proposed project encompasses the ancestral lands of the tribe, which include five (5) counties; DEL norte and humboldt in california and curry, coos and josephine in oregon. The tribes general membership consists of 2,010 members governed by a seven (7) member tribal council elected by the general membership. Through TSASP funding, this project will expand and continue existing programming in sexual assault services, current services that have been offered benefits the community by: 1. Establishing a more inclusive access for SA survivors and improved response with other tribal, state and non-profit victim service providers through community outreach about tribal programming and enhanced coordination and communication; 2. Providing services in a tribal environment, or environment of the survivors choice, culturally adapted for the needs of tribal survivors, offers choices and is flexible enough to blend the support of multiple services such as the north coast rape crisis and tribal specific services; 3. Reducing stigma and increasing victim confidence in service providers (more confidential choices of services free of stigma, as many survivors do not initially report a crime and many have a history of a lack of trust based on generations of institutionalized trauma from county/state systems); 4. Utilization of existing programs that ensure cultural applicability and encompass traditional healing such as healing circles, language camp, gathering of native americans (GONA), and referrals to external programs; 5. Use of tribal justice forums as the TDN tribal court where cases are heard by a native judge; and 6. Enhanced communication with law enforcement and justice system as TDN DV/SA program staff work with law enforcement and justice systems to address sexual assault issues. Expanded services will focus on community outreach events to expand knowledge of sexual assault and SEX trafficking, provide culturally sensitive counseling services, TDN community and family wellness will ensure that availability has little to no delay by purchasing counseling sessions this will allow for immediate counseling services to start while longer term providers can be secured. This awardwill be a three-year project.