We are so grateful to our presenters, partners, and attendees for making the Women Are Sacred Conference in July so impactful! WAS is a cornerstone in the movement to end violence against Native women and children. In July, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this powerful event brought together advocates, survivors, Tribal domestic violence and sexual violence programs, Tribal leadership, law enforcement, and Tribal court personnel united in the mission of creating safer, stronger Tribal communities.
STTARS organized a housing track with seven enlightening presentations. These included “Rooted in Care: Housing Practices that Honor Every Survivor’s Journey,” shared by Gabriela Zapata-Alma from the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health, and “Advocacy Strategies for Survivors with Housing Issues Navigating the Legal System,” by Caroline LaPorte from the Indian Law Resource Center.
Photo courtesy of the National Indian Youth Council’s (NIYC) Film and Media program.
National Tribal Housing Justice Summit
We had a wonderful time with you all in June at the National Tribal Housing Justice Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
This summit featured presentations and peer-led discussions from housing and shelter experts, who shared best practices, policy solutions, and traditional approaches to ensure safe and stable housing for all our relatives. This event brought Tribal domestic violence advocates, community leaders, and housing experts together from all over the nation.
STTARS Workgroup Featured in Cardozo Law Institute’s Holocaust and Human Rights Spring Newsletter
Clinic students Aluk Fontaine and Faye Nugent are helping develop resources for advocates and their thoughtful reflections are featured in the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights Spring newsletter. STTARS had the pleasure of viewing their work during the National Workgroup meeting in April.
Over the past couple of years, STTARS has worked closely with the Cardozo Law Institute to develop resources for advocates, such as Know Your Rights campaigns and a Tribal Housing Code Directory.
Washington State Invests $3.5M in Spirit Journey Healing Village
Mother Nation was recently awarded $3.5M for their Spirit Journey Healing Village, which will offer two-year transitional housing in a trauma-informed, Native-led setting, wrap-around recovery services, and a safe and supportive environment for women overcoming addiction and complex trauma. This funding will go toward building a five-family home within the village.
Dawn Begay and Jamie Navenma
STTARS Meets With Laguna Housing Director Jamie Navenma
STTARS had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Navenma, director of the Laguna Housing Development Corporation to discuss the housing challenges related to domestic violence, community safety, and the importance of culturally responsive housing and the safety risks that arise due to a lack of housing. Jamie is a long-time advocate for housing and safety in Tribal communities and is deeply involved and very passionate about this work. Jamie also serves as president of the Southwest Tribal Housing Alliance and Region VIII Representative of the National American Indian Housing Council.
Highlights from the meeting and recommendations included supporting Tribal Nations in tailoring cultural integration into housing education, which incorporates traditional teachings for tenants and residents, encouraging discussions with community elders for deeper understandings, and how it can be implemented into housing program operations.
Lastly, Jamie shared that advanced ongoing housing education and training compliance for Tribal leaders must be essential in the success and growth of Tribal housing programs.
Other Stories
New Course Available on Suicide and Intimate Partner Violence
This course helps clinical practitioners, crisis workers, clinical supervisors, and trainees learn about evidence-based tools and strategies for screening and safety planning with clients at risk of both suicide and intimate partner violence.
Congratulations, Chelsie Evans!
Chelsie Evans is the executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets whose mission is to build the capacity of low—and moderate—income communities to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians. Their philosophy of Kahua Waiwai supports affordable housing, culturally relevant financial education, and asset-building programs to achieve our mission.
Kahua Waiwai espouses the basic philosophy of “A Sense of Place.” The home is viewed as a foundation (kahua). Upon this foundation, the family’s spiritual values and teachings are built (waiwai). The spiritual value of the home and its surroundings provides stability and the opportunity for families to build a secure future. Opportunities that help stabilize family life help create a more stable community. A strong foundation, if built properly, will serve generations to come.
Call for Proposals for the National Tribal Housing Summit
“Rooted in Tradition: Rising in Resilience” The National American Indian Housing Council is coordinating the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development'sNational Tribal Housing Summit occuring from Tuesday, November 4 - 6, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Washington DC, Crystal City. The Summit will provide a forum for training, exchanging ideas, consulting on upcoming issues, and developing best practices for models that implement and sustain effective affordable housing programs under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.
The Housing Speakers Bureau is a unique listing of independent speakers, trainers, and field experts focused on issues of Indigenous safe housing and shelter. We are actively seeking individuals with a housing, domestic violence, cultural, and human rights lens to be part of our training and technical assistance initiative. Please fill out the form, submit yourself or someone you recommend!
STTARS provides training and technical assistance, policy development, and resource materials to support Tribal Nations, Tribal housing authorities, and Tribal domestic violence programs and shelters to address the intersection of violence and housing insecurity and homelessness and create safe housing options for survivors.
To request assistance, please fill out the form with as much detail as possible.
STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center is funded by grant #90EV0537 from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family, and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of this newsletter are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Our mailing address is: NIWRC, Attn: STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center P.O. Box 99, Lame Deer, MT
Our company address and phone number is:
National Indigenous Women's Resource Center 12 Bowstring Street, Lame Deer, MT. 59043 406.477.3896
