For immediate release—November 29, 2017
Seattle, Wash—Seattle Indian Health Board, Chief Seattle Club, Mother Nation, and United Indians of All Tribes Foundation have collectively secured $2,430,840 in funding from the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department to address homelessness among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) living in Seattle and King County, Wash.
This unique opportunity will allow the partner organizations to provide critical services to Seattle’s AI/AN community to reduce the disparity in rates of homelessness experienced by urban AI/ANs.
“Our organizations are excited to work together in partnership and collaboration to serve the homeless Native community of Seattle,” said Esther Lucero, Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board. “Each of our partner organizations will leverage our unique strengths and capacities to improve the health and well-being of our community’s most vulnerable members.”
The genesis for the partnership began in 2015 when Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club, founded the Coalition to End Urban Indian Homelessness(Coalition),whichincludes AI/ANs, non-profits, government and philanthropic partners.
“The Coalition has demonstrated success in bringing the disparity in rates of homelessness of AI/AN people to the attention of policymakers,” Echohawk said. “Through our partnership, we will reduce rates of AI/AN homelessness in Seattle, and provide policymakers with evidence of the success of community-based and culturally competent approaches to addressing homelessness.”
This grant award represents the most important success of the Coalition to date, and the first-time social service support for homeless AI/ANs will be coordinated among a coalition of Native organizations in Seattle.
“Coordinated case management among our three organizations will ensure that homeless AI/AN are provided with a full continuum of support,” said Norine Hill, Executive Director of Mother Nation. “This includes medical and mental health services, substance abuse treatment and prevention, traditional medicine, and domestic violence prevention.”
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For more information about Seattle Indian Health Board, click here: https://www.sihb.org/
For more information about Chief Seattle Club, click here: https://www.chiefseattleclub.org/
For more information about Mother Nation, click here: https://www.mothernation.org/
For more information about United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, click here: http://www.unitedindians.org/
