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 Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $610,000 Project Grant under the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (CFDA 16.024) to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. This three-year grant will allow the tribe's Three Sisters Program to expand comprehensive sexual assault intervention, advocacy, and support services for victims and collaterally affected individuals within the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory along the U.S.-Canada border. Key services to be provided include crisis intervention, counseling, support groups, and community outreach and awareness efforts. The grant will also facilitate new and strengthen existing cross-border and Iroquois organizational partnerships to improve sexual assault service delivery within the Akwesasne community.

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 saint regis mohawk tribes three sisters program has been providing services since 2015 in the akwesasne mohawk territory which is uniquely situated with the united states/canada border bisecting the southern portion located in new york state (NYS) and the northern portion in both quebec and ontario. The TSASP funding will allow TSP to expand providing comprehensive and uninterrupted sexual assault victims/collateral victims services along with ensuring adequate outreach and awareness, TSP faces the reality of operating within our communitys complex jurisdictional landscape as we strive to help sexual assault victims effectively. TSP will provide these continuing services by: 1. Crisis intervention, advocacy and accompaniment, information and referral, counseling, support groups, and support for victims/survivors and those collaterally affected by victimization, including non-offending family and household members.; 2. Providing outreach and enhance community awareness on issues surrounding sexual assault; and 3. Maintain existing; initiate and build new cooperative relationships including cross-border and iroquois agencies/organizations; 4. Improve service delivery of sexual assault services to the community of akwesasne. This awardwill be a three-year project.