Beginning in the 1970s, the grassroots advocacy movement helped to shine a light on the devastating impact of domestic violence and the injustices victims have long faced in the U.S. This engagement of grassroots advocates was seen in federal events, such as in 1978 when Tillie Black Bear (Sicangu Lakota) and other advocates provided testimony during a consultation to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, as well as during a series of Congressional hearings in 1983 and 1984. Soon after in 1984, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act was originally passed into law to support victim services throughout the country through grants to states, tribal governments, and territories, as well as to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. FVPSA has since been reauthorized seven times, including twice as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and five times as part of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, FVPSA is the only federal funding source supporting immediate shelter and supportive services and is the primary source of funding for these services for federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. FVPSA mandates that “not less than 10 percent” of the annual appropriation shall be used to support Indian tribes to achieve the purposes of the legislation. Some of the FVPSA state fund requirements govern the FVPSA tribal funds. With funding under FVPSA, many Indian tribes have developed tribal programs to provide a spectrum of services, including shelter, safety planning, counseling, legal services, childcare and services for children, career planning, life skills training, community education and public awareness, and other necessities, such as clothing, food, and transportation. And yet, the critical needs of survivors continue to outpace FVPSA funded services’ capacity and reach, particularly in Indian country where Native women face a disproportionate rate of domestic violence. Currently, fewer than half of all federally recognized tribes receive FVPSA funding.
For more than two years, a coalition of national Native organizations—including the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center, National Congress of American Indians, StrongHearts Native Helpline, and the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence (ATCEV)—has worked closely with congressional champions to draft an enhanced version of a bill to reauthorize FVPSA.
