Sho-Ban Tribes receive crime victims grant

The Shoshone-Bannock and Coeur d’Alene tribes will receive a share of $8.4 million in grant awards to support crime victims in Native American communities in ten states.

It is the fifth in a series of grants being made by the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime to American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. The grants will fund critical crime victim services like counseling, transitional housing, emergency services, and transportation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the grants are supported by the Crime Victims Fund, a repository of federal criminal fines, fees, and special assessments. There are no tax dollars.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes received $649,244 to address four critical needs in existing programming, including shelter renovations, trauma-informed case management, satellite victim service offices and expansion of services to vulnerable adults. The funding will support a case manager, domestic violence shelter, and office space, program, and office supplies and emergency assistance.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe received $478,504.

“American Indian and Alaska Native communities face extensive public safety challenges, but through creative approaches that combine traditional methods with innovative solutions, they are demonstrating their determination to meet the needs of victims in their two communities,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Matt M. Dummermuth.”These grants, part of historic levels of funding awarded by the Department of Justice to American Indian and Alaska Native communities, will provide significant resources to bring critical services to those who suffer the effects of crime and violence.”