Gun Lake Tribe Victim Services Project

OVC’s mission is to enhance the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing policies and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. OVC achieves this mission, in part, by administering award programs supported by the federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to develop innovative training and technical assistance, and to provide direct services to improve the overall quality of victim assistance.

The overall goal of the Fiscal Year 2019 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program is to provide support to tribal communities to improve services for victims of crime. Under the solicitation, OVC solicited applications for funding to support a comprehensive range of activities including needs assessment, strategic planning, program development and implementation, program expansion, and other activities needed to address the needs of a wide variety of crime victims in tribal communities.

With an award under Purpose Area 2: Coordination and Expansion of Existing Victim Service Program, the program will conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps in victim services, expand the population of crime victims served by the Tribe, improve and expand the Tribe’s existing Domestic Violence Program, and reach out to the Tribal Community to communicate the Tribe’s existing programs and services. Funding will support 1) a consultant to develop and conduct a comprehensive Tribal victim needs assessment, using the results to develop a Victim Services Coordination Plan; 2) on-site events and training to educate the Tribal Community, Tribal leadership, and other key partners on the types of crimes affecting Native American populations; 3) enhance the Tribe’s Domestic Violence Program by purchasing necessary supplies and updating technological systems to increase referrals; 4) leveraging existing events to promote and increase Citizen awareness of the Domestic Violence Program. This project will serve all Tribal Citizens that access Gun Lake Tribal services. (CA/NCF)