The puyallup tribe of indians is a federally recognized tribal government located in pierce county, state of washington

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded the Puyallup Tribe of Indians $900,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Tribal Justice Assistance program (CFDA 16.596) to enhance mental health treatment services and supportive housing for high-risk youth and young adults involved with the tribal justice system.

The recipient will add a licensed mental health specialist position and engage expert consultation to evaluate supportive housing finance options, with mental health interventions assessed against evidence-based standards of practice including participation in community family day center programming. The tribe will also establish a cross-jurisdictional quality assurance program integrating the Puyallup tribal justice system with community-based crime and substance use prevention services. Services will be delivered to residents of the Puyallup Indian Reservation and City of Tacoma South End and Eastside neighborhoods.

The award period runs through September 30, 2030. Place of performance is Tacoma, Washington. The Tribal Justice Assistance program supports tribal justice system capacity to prevent crime and ensure tribal safety through development, implementation, and enhancement of critical justice infrastructure and services.

The primary goal of the puyallup tribal ctas PA 3 proposal is to add mental health treatment services and supportive housing enhancements and cultivate the integration of the puyallup tribal justice system with the continuum of community-based crime and substance use prevention services. Due to the intensity and availability of opioids among at-risk youth and young adults and the impact this epidemic has had on the tribal justice system, the availability of reliable mental health stabilization and supportive housing services are critical for the reduction and reoccurrence of criminal activity, gun violence, acute mental health episodes and suicidal deaths. The state of washington transportation report (2024) has established drug overdose deaths are greatest among young adults and are the leading cause of accidental death, outnumbering motor-vehicle collisions and firearm deaths. Furthermore, self-reported risky behaviors (ospi, 2023) amid pierce county american indian youth substantiates growth predictions in drug dependent and incarcerated native american young adults. Implementation of the proposed ctas PA 3 mental health and supportive housing service enhancements will be offered to tribal justice system high-risk youth and young adult residents of the puyallup indian reservation and city of tacoma south end and eastside neighborhoods. The demonstration of project improvements will include the addition of a licensed mental health specialist and the provision of expert consultation to investigate supportive housing finance options and demonstrate a cross jurisdictional and coordinated quality assurance program. Mental health interventions will be evaluated with reference to evidence-based standards of practice and integration (samsha, 2024) to include attendance at the community family day center program. Utilization of and planning for improved access to supportive housing resources will be validated against the options discovered by the pierce county and washington state tribal continuum of housing services advisory board. The project quality assurance panel will focus on monitoring behavioral health status and community stabilization for project participants. Recommendations for community initiatives to prevent crime and drug use and develop supportive housing resources will be reported to puyallup tribal justice staff, community partners and the puyallup tribal council.