The Department of Health and Human Services announced a $15 million grant will fund a hotline for Native American domestic violence victims.

The new National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline will be operated by the nonprofit group StrongHearts Native Helpline.

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“By creating the first National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline, the Trump administration is responding to decades of Tribal leaders’ advocacy for dedicated American Indian and Alaska Native domestic violence services,” Administration for Children and Families acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison said. 

“This investment ensures that Native survivors — many of whom live in rural or under-resourced areas — have access to 24/7 lifesaving support,” he added.

Native American women face disproportionately high levels of domestic and sexual violence. They’re 1.2 times more likely than white women to experience violence in their lifetime, an HHS-cited study said.

StrongHearts CEO Lori Jump told Native News Online that the grant would be a positive shift for the organization because it would receive the money directly.

“That’s the biggest change this will be is we will have a direct relationship, rather than a sub-grantee relationship,” Jump said. “We’re honored that they see the value the work our advocates are doing, and want to see us continue.”

The new hotline, at 1-844-762-8483, will be confidential and staffed around the clock. HHS said the hotline will be staffed “by trained advocates with expertise in Tribal cultures, sovereignty, and jurisdictional complexities.”

Jump said Native Americans can be hesitant to go to nonspecialized services.

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“We know that our relatives have difficulty going to mainstream programs, but sometimes that’s all there is to offer,” Jump said. “What’s important here is just access to culturally sensitive, culturally honoring services.” 

HHS said the hotline is a part of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “commitment to advancing Tribal-led solutions and addressing domestic violence in Indigenous communities.”