EAGAN, Minnesota — On the cusp of its seven-year anniversary, StrongHearts Native Helpline is building partnerships and gaining support from grants awarded to sustain culturally appropriate support and advocacy for Native Americans impacted by domestic and sexual violence.

“The service we provide is being felt by our relatives in a good way and enhanced by newly forming partnerships dedicated to ending violence against Native Americans and Alaska Natives. As the beneficiaries of generous donations—our advocates are better trained and more readily available to meet the needs of our people,” said CEO Lori Jump, StrongHearts Native Helpline. “It’s hard to deny culturally appropriate support and advocacy is a top priority.”

Over the course of seven years, StrongHearts established the first-ever phone and internet-based national helpline for Native Americans impacted by domestic and sexual violence.

To begin with, the need for a national helpline was recognized by The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) in 2012, realizing that Native Americans were not reaching out for help. This fact became even more disturbing when a study conducted by the Department of Justice (2016) revealed that Native Americans and Alaska Native women and men suffer violence at alarmingly high rates and predominantly at the hands of non-Natives.

With seed money from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Verizon, The Hotline provided a training ground for StrongHearts in Austin, Texas, where culturally appropriate support and advocacy was developed by and for Native Americans.

Since March 6, 2017, StrongHearts has continued in growth and development with funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and an increasing flow of charitable donations as StrongHearts became more recognizable in Tribal communities across the nation.

On November 28, 2023, GivingTuesday and in honor of Native American Heritage Month, the San Manuel Band of Missions Indians of Southern California donated $100,000 to StrongHearts to facilitate a great impact on underserved communities.

“California is home to the largest population of Native Americans in our nation,” said Jump. “Our demographics are a reflection of Native peoples being pushed from the east to west. California has consistently been in the top five locations from where our relatives are reaching out for help.”

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians recognized StrongHearts as a viable resource by providing support for building infrastructure, expanding community outreach, and increasing training opportunities for staff and advocates.

Together Rising also donated $50,000 as part of their mission to transform collective heartbreak into effective action. Together Rising is a non-profit organization entrusted by donors to identify and provide support services for those in need.

“These generous donations signify a deep and mutual appreciation for the well-being of our relatives,” said Jump. “All donations will be used to support our vision to eradicate domestic and sexual violence against all Native peoples and a return to our traditional lifeways where our relatives are safe and sacredness is restored.”

StrongHearts advocates provide culturally appropriate support and advocacy to every contact, including non-Natives who reach out for help. We understand that domestic and sexual violence originated from sources outside of our communities and that by helping those who would do us harm, we also help ourselves.

StrongHearts Native Helpline serves all individuals who reach out for their services regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or any other factor protected by local, state, or federal law. Call or text 1-844-762-8483 or chat online at strongheartshelpline.org.