Giving Compass' Take:
- Writing for Stateline, Nada Hassanein reports on the gaps created by federal funding cuts for services to support Indigenous domestic violence survivors.
- What can donors and funders do to help fill some of the gaps for survivors created by these cuts to crucial human services?
- Ask a custom question to find other nonprofits focused on providing services for Indigenous survivors of domestic violence.
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Organizations serving American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of violence say reductions in federal funding have led to over 1,000 unmet requests for help, predominantly by Indigenous domestic violence survivors, according to a new report.
The Urban Indian Health Institute, an Indigenous health research group, surveyed 201 tribes, tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations and nonprofits about how funding cuts are affecting Indigenous domestic violence support and safety services they offer. These include safe housing, counseling, transportation, direct cash assistance, and court accompaniment for survivors of crime and violence. Other services include advocacy for victims of elder abuse, people with disabilities or people who had been trafficked.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona discussed the report at a congressional hearing last week.
Amid cuts under the Trump administration, tribal organizations reported being unable to fulfill 690 safe housing-related requests and 466 requests related to other services. Almost a quarter of those were for children, according to the survey, which collected responses between May and June 28 of last year.
Between 36 percent and 41 percent of various services provided by the surveyed groups, ranging from healthcare to legal assistance, “have been or will be reduced due to funding cuts,” according to the report on cuts to Indigenous domestic violence survivor services. About 20 percent of services for active duty or veterans were reduced, according to the survey.
The Trump administration cut millions of dollars from and rescinded grants across multiple federal agencies, including the departments of Justice and of Health and Human Services. Following backlash, some grants were restored, but many, including domestic violence and victim services funds, remain slashed. While some of the funds may have been reinstated since the survey was conducted, the uncertainty and reductions have resulted in staff layoffs or hesitancy to reinstate programs.
For the majority of organizations and tribes surveyed, federal funding covered over half of their program budgets, with the U.S. Department of Justice funding 46 percent, followed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 36 percent. Stateline didn’t receive a response from either agency by publication time.
Read the full article about services for Indigenous domestic violence survivors at Nada Hassanein, Stateline.