Federal funding cuts leave Native violence survivors with fewer services
Stateline reports funding reductions have led to more than 1,000 unmet requests for survivor assistance
More than 1,000 requests for services from American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of violence went unmet because of reductions in federal funding, according to reporting by Stateline. Stateline reported that a new Urban Indian Health Institute survey of 201 tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations and nonprofits found providers were unable to fulfill 690 requests for safe housing and 466 requests for other services. According to the report, nearly one-quarter of the unmet requests involved children.
The findings were discussed Tuesday during a U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources hearing on missing and murdered Indigenous people, according to the Stateline reporting. The Urban Indian Health Institute reported that between 36% and 41% of surveyed organizations said services including healthcare, legal assistance and victim advocacy have been or will be reduced because of funding cuts. During the hearing, institute director Abigail Echo-Hawk said organizations also face uncertainty about rehiring staff because of ongoing funding reductions.
- 1.Stateline.
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