Western Washington tribes awarded more than $5.6 million for programs that support victims of domestic violence

Seattle – The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women has awarded $5.6 million to six Western Washington tribes and a non-profit entity working to combat domestic and sexual violence in tribal communities, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The funding will be used for a range of services from emergency shelter to legal assistance to counseling for victims of domestic violence.

“We know that rates of domestic and sexual violence are disproportionately higher for Alaska Native and American Indian women. These grant funds are critical to providing safety in our tribal communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “We welcome the coordinated effort by the Women Spirit Coalition to bring this grant funding to Western Washington.”

The tribal grants include:

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe - $1 million for transitional housing and to strengthen tribal court system interventions.

Makah Tribe - $425,000 for education and intervention strategies on domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe - $998,595 for planning and implementing a supervised visitation program; providing no-cost civil legal services for survivors; and continuing their advocacy and support efforts.

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation - $650,000 – to enhance services such as crisis intervention, advocacy, emergency shelter, supportive counseling, information, and referral services.

Quileute Tribe - $650,000 - the New Beginnings Program will continue effective advocacy responses for victims of domestic violence including emergency transportation, housing assistance, and transitional housing assistance.

Tulalip Tribes -$1.5 million – as part of the Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Program to enhance programs through the tribal prosecutor’s office that hold non-natives responsible for their crimes and provide support and safety for tribal victims.

Washington State Native American Coalition against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault - $382,188 – for the Women Spirit Coalition that works with 22 tribes on anti-violence work and community awareness.

Additionally, DOJ announced $1.5 million in funding to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to investigate Missing and Murdered Indigenous persons in “cold cases” – these are cases that occurred before 1980. The Attorney General’s Office will work with the tribes and their tribal archives to research and identify pre-1980 cold cases with civil rights violations involving Indigenous victims and create an inventory of these cases. The grant will produce a public report documenting what was found over the course of research.