We have many exciting things ahead of us as a resource center. We plan to develop our advocacy curriculum, continue with our listening sessions in community with survivors and programs, we look forward to planning a hill briefing, developing model code provisions for Tribal governments to consider formalizing, the development of sample policies for shelter and transitional housing programs, and to adding more resources for support. We will continue to convene the National Workgroup twice a year and cannot wait to celebrate OFVPS anniversary in October.
The STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center owes an incredible amount of gratitude to our many partners, including Director Shawndell Dawson of OFVPS, Deleon Barnett (our awesome program manager), Dianna Lee and Tya Johnson (who were also STTARS program managers). We also want to call special attention to our National Workgroup Members who continue to advise us in a good way, our MOU partners (the Benjamin B. Ferenz Clinic, the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and the StrongHearts Native Helpline), and the many individuals we have a chance to work with everyday. STTARS has been an absolute labor of love, starting out with a small group of individuals and partners in 2019.
STTARS goes to the Super Bowl!
Rita Imus (left) and STTARS Safe Housing and Shelter Specialist Clarice Charlie-Hubbard (right) /Photo courtesy of Clarice Charlie-Hubbard.
Each year the NFL’s Social Responsibility department choses award recipients for the Unsung Hero award which honors the work of individuals in the hosting city/state. Since this year's Super Bowl 58 was hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada, three individuals from Nevada were recommended and selected for their years and dedication of advocacy work in Indigenous communities, working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking crimes. Those individuals were Mary Dodd, member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Clarice Charlie-Hubbard, STTARS Safe Housing Shelter Specialist and member of the Te-Moak Tribe and Rita Imus, Reno Sparks Indian Colony member. In addition to the award, the recipients also received Super Bowl tickets, travel accommodations and a 5,000 donation to an organization of their choice.
Unfortunately Mary Dodd was unable to accept the initial award or participate in the Super Bowl festivities solet's take a moment to highlight her and her years of dedication:
Mary Dodd is a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, in Nevada. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and the former Coordinator for the Pyramid Lake Victim Services Program.
In 1998, she developed the Pyramid Lake Victim Services Program and in 2000, opened the emergency women’s shelter, “Tamme Pea Nobe-Our Mothers’ House.” She operated the program which expanded its services to provide legal, counseling, and transitional housing assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. With her belief that our survivors should have access to all services on our homelands, she was committed to writing the program’s grants, when the Tribe lacked the capacity. She continued to maintain services and continued to seek enhancing services, prior to her retirement on June 16, 2023. The interest and commitment of providing services to survivors is rooted in her past of losing her mother, Elaine J Garcia, to domestic violence, on October 31,1968. During Mary’s childhood, there were many times when her mother would attempt to flee the abuse, only to encounter the barrier of not having a safe place to go, with six children alongside her. During her mother’s last attempt to flee, Mary can recall the desk clerk of a hotel telling her mother, “This is the last time, Elaine!” With this always on her mind, the accomplishment she is most proud of is when her Tribe allowed her the use of a home to be used as a shelter. A safe place where children can play, a safe place where women can have the time to take a breath and plan for their future.
In lieu of the award, a $5,000 donation to the non-profit of her choosing is to be donated in her honor. The non-profit Mary requested the donation go to is the Nevada Women’s Fund as they are dedicated to strengthening our community by empowering women to improve their lives and those of their families and has requested that the donation be made in honor of her mother, Elaine J Garcia. Thank you Mary for the years of dedication in ending violence against Native women.
Rita was able to accept her award and attended the Super Bowl with her sister, her son and STTARS Safe Housing and Shelter Specialist Clarice Charlie-Hubbard. Since Clarice was unable to accept her award, the NFL gifted her with room accommodations and a ticket to also attend the game.
Both had an amazing time and would like to thank the NFL Social Responsibility program for this recognition.
Rita Imus is an enrolled member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and affiliated with the Paiute and Hualapai Tribes and obtained her Bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in Human Development and Family Studies. She started her advocacy work as an intern and then stayed as a volunteer for several years before becoming a paid staff member. Rita is passionate about working with Native American families and worked for the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada's Family Violence Prevention Program as an advocate providing emergency services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout Nevada. She is currently the Sexual Assault Coordinator for Crisis Support Services of Nevada and also serves as a Northern Regional Representative for the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. Rita had the recent opportunity to present on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement at a local conference and she continues to be a mentor to young ladies who are involved in the Rez Wellness program. She continues to work closely with some of Nevada's Tribes bringing sexual assault awareness to their communities. Rita also assisted and provided advocacy in many sexual assault forensic exams with survivors and is passionate about helping them find their voice and light in their darkest moments.
Photo of STTARS Housing Center Team members: STTARS Director Caroline LaPorte, Safe Housing and Shelter Specialist Clarice Charlie-Hubbard, ARP Coordinator and Specialist Paloma Sánchez, and Senior Housing Specialist Gwendolyn Packard.
STTARS & GBVRN
STTARS staff Clarice Charlie-Hubbard, Paloma Sanchez, Gwendolyn Packard and Caroline LaPorte attended this February’s DVRN (now the Gender Based Violence Resource Network) meeting in Washington, D.C. OFVPS Director Shawndell Dawson provided GBVRN members with a crucial update on OFVPS grants, reporting, and events. It was lovely to see the work of STTARS reflected in Director Dawson’s remarks, and we continue to appreciate her strong leadership as well as the incredible support of her office. To learn more about the GBVRN (formerly the DVRN), please visit this website.
Capacity Building Consortium Members Meet in DC!
The CBC is composed of the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence (ATCEV), the National Network Against Domestic Violence (NNADV) and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC). Members of these national partnerships provide training and capacity building technical assistance (TA) to Tribal grantees, state administrators, state and territorial coalitions who receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA).
Members of the CBC attended the winter DVRN meeting held February 7-9, 2024 in Washington DC. During this meeting DVRN announced their new name: the Gender Based Violence Resource Network (GBVRN). Shawndell Dawson, OFVPS Director, provided important federal updates and announced that OFVPS will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of FVPSA in October and plans for an event in Washington DC commemorating the anniversary. CBC Members also had the opportunity to to meet with the OFVPS Tribal Unit and regional program officers. Conversations focused on upcoming site visits, on-going technical assistance and strengthening collaborations and partnerships.
STTARS Featured in VAWA Taskforce Photo
Photo courtesy of NCAI.
At NCAI’s 80th Annual Convention and Marketplace in New Orleans, LA, STTARS presented policy recommendations during the NCAI VAWA Task force, networked and tabled, and also joined other Native women advocates who were recognized for their long-standing contributions to the movement to end violence against Native women and children.
Rosie Hidalgo, Director of the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, provided remarks at the conference, which STTARS wishes to highlight here.
Grants Pass v. Johnson
The Supreme Court of the United States of America has granted cert. In an appeal from the 9th Circuit case Grants Pass v. Johnson. STTARS is grateful for the leadership of Dfox and NNEDV, Eric Tars, and the National Homelessness Law Center, for their work surrounding this litigation. STTARS has been closely monitoring this case as the holding is in line with our core values as a Resource Center: namely, all of our relatives must have access to safe housing and shelter. We hold true that punitive responses and the criminalization of individuals' ability to simply exist outside, especially where the state has failed to provide adequate resources, is cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution. It also fails to meet the standards set forth in many of our Indigenous worldviews.
DVHTAC
On February 21, 2024, Gwendolyn Packard brought Shandi Stoner to present on the Landlord Tenant Resource Center, a project of Housing Solutions Tulsa. Shandi provided an incredible presentation on the program she directs as well as innovative solutions for addressing housing and shelter needs in their community as well as on their data dashboard and research.
Joint-Statement on Nex Benedict
STTARS, NIWRC and LA LGBT Center collaborated on a joint-statement regarding the death of Nex Benedict (Choctaw), who was a non-binary 16 year old student living outside of Tulsa, OK. We wish to highlight Trans Day of Visibility, which is March 31, 2024.
Gwendolyn Packard, Senior Housing Specialist, provided a training on human trafficking and housing at the Nebraska Urban Indian Council during the month of January for National Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Project Beacon. For more information, please visit their website.
STTARS Welcomes a New Member!
Photo of Paloma Sánchez / Photo courtesy of Paloma Sánchez
Paloma Hąąpnąąžįwiiga Sánchez (they/them) is the ARP Coordinator and Specialist for the STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center, bringing a wealth of expertise and commitment to their role. They are a proud member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, and also identify as Latinx and Two-Spirit. Paloma's academic journey includes the attainment of a Master's in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on Indigenous archaeology and community-based participatory research. Currently, Paloma is furthering their education at the University of Denver, pursuing a Master of Social Work to expand their impact on Indigenous communities.
In their prior roles, Paloma demonstrated an unwavering passion for providing culturally tailored support to both unhoused and housed relatives in the Denver metro area. Their commitment extends beyond direct support, as Paloma has played a crucial role in developing and facilitating Indigenous Cultural Humility trainings. These trainings were designed for direct service providers engaging with unhoused Indigenous populations and behavioral health staff, emphasizing a respectful and culturally responsive approach.
As a survivor with significant lived experience, Paloma draws on their personal and professional insights to advocate for and support their Indigenous relatives. Their mission is not only to provide assistance but also to drive meaningful change that is inclusive, respectful, and driven by the needs and aspirations of Indigenous communities.
Upcoming STTARS Events
Save the Date
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
🗓️ April 9-11 in San Francisco: Strengthening Sovereign Responses to Sex Trafficking in Indian Country and Alaska Conference - With MIWSAC
🗓️ April 19 @ 12 pm MST: Conversation and Coffee with Peers on Tribal FVPSA and ARP Grant Spending & Activities - Via Zoom
🗓️ Week of April 29th: National Workgroup Meeting - We want to take this moment to thank our host, Mother Nation. For more information about Mother Nation’s incredible program and the amazing heart-work they do tirelessly in their community, please visit their website.
Rewatch Our Previous Webinars
Practice Informed Policy Recommendations Based on Work With Our Unhoused Relatives
STTARS is hosting its annual Winter Solstice webinar on December 21, the first day of Winter and the longest night of the year. We chose this date as a time to expand our knowledge around the complex intersections of housing insecurity, homelessness, and gender-based violence, hear from frontline housing advocates on what they are doing in their communities, focus on the critical need for legal assistance, and develop practice informed policy recommendations that uplift the voices of survivors. This is also an important time to bring awareness and understanding to this critical issue and to honor all our unsheltered relatives who have lost their lives on the streets.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Intersection of Brain Injury, Strangulation, Gender-Based Violence, Housing Insecurity and Homelessness
Gender-based violence often involves physical violence targeted at the head, neck, and face—through blows to the head or strangulation. Though this has been common knowledge for decades, brain injuries caused by violence are unacknowledged, rarely identified and almost never immediately treated. Both survivors of violence and professionals that work with them have been largely unaware of brain injury as a significant consequence of violence. Brain injuries can cause physical, emotional, and cognitive consequences that can impact every area of a survivor’s life—including their ability to successfully access and participate in services, maintain employment, secure and sustain housing, and meet self-sufficiency goals. This webinar will introduce CARE (Connect, Acknowledge, Respond, Evaluate), Ohio’s evidence-based framework developed by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and The Ohio State University. CARE is a brain injury aware, trauma-informed approach focusing on accessibility and accommodations with practical, hands-on, free tools, strategies, and resources to support your work.
STTARS wants to uplift an outstanding advocate and housing expert, who graces our National Workgroup with her presence. Linda is beyond a subject matter expert, and continues to be a pillar in our space. We are honored that Linda Lee Retka works with STTARs and our National Workgroup; she is a fierce advocate, a kind and thoughtful individual, and a powerhouse in regards to Tribal housing.
Photo of Linda Lee Retka /Photo courtesy of Linda Lee Retka
LindaLee Retka is National American Indian Housing Council’s Program Director. She has more than 19 years of experience directly related to the management of all aspects of tribal housing programs. Her previous career positions with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe included Grants Compliance Manager and Assistant Director of Housing. While employed with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe she worked closely with the Eastern Woodlands Office of Native American Programs on several complex tribal housing issues, which now serve as models for Native urban housing development.
Since, joining NAIHC in 2010 her work has focused on providing strategic planning, program and policy analysis, technical assistance and training services to Indian Tribes, Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) and ONAP.
She has specialized technical expertise in the fields of housing, community development, and is an experienced facilitator, trainer, curriculum developer, and program evaluator.
Through her involvement in multi-tribal housing initiatives, Linda Lee has been an innovator in providing affordable housing opportunities for tribal community members. She served as an American Indian representative board member of the Minnesota Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative and a member of the Family and Youth Services Bureau’s “Partnering to Enhance Service Delivery and Outcomes for Native Youth” Tribal working group. LindaLee is an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Nation
Announcements
DVRN Changes Name to GBVRN to Reflect Addition of Sexual Assault Resource Centers
STTARS is now joining the OFVPS Coffee Conversations with the NIWRC TTA Team and the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center:
We have pass-through ARP funds for domestic violence programs and shelters and not-for-profit organizations. Eligible programs can receive up to $15,000 per award and reapply for additional funds. Our main priority for this funding is to support Tribal programs and community organizations serving Indigenous survivors of gender-based violence at the intersection of housing instability and homelessness.
OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program - Solicitation (DEADLINE IS APRIL 11, 2024)
Did you know? STTARS stands for Safety, Technical Assistance and Training, Resources, and Support. Our vision is Safe Housing For All Our Relatives.
Request Housing Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) from STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center. STTARS provides culturally rooted training and technical assistance, policy development, and Indigenous-centered resource materials to support Tribes, Tribal housing authorities, and Tribal domestic violence programs and shelters to address the intersection of Gender-Based Violence and Housing Insecurity and Homelessness and create safe housing options for survivors. To request T/TA, please fill out the form located on our website at niwrc.org/housing/contact with as much detail as possible, and we will be in touch!
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 515 Lame Deer Ave, Lame Deer, MT. 59043 406.477.3896
