{"id":255386,"date":"2025-10-10T14:53:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T19:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=255386"},"modified":"2025-10-20T10:10:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:10:05","slug":"cronkite-news-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline-begins-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/10\/10\/cronkite-news-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline-begins-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline begins service"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rqmN2PJHwBo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> StrongHearts Native Helpline: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/rqmN2PJHwBo>Community Chat 2025<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline provides culturally specific help<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, October 10, 2025<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Gabrielle Wallace<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"card border border-primary shadow-0\">\r\n<div class=\"card-body\"><strong>StrongHearts Native Helpline <\/strong><BR>\r\nIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, visit StrongHearts Native Helpline at 844-7NATIVE (762-8483) and online at <a href=https:\/\/strongheartshelpline.org\/>strongheartshelpline.org<\/a>, available 24\/7.\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPHOENIX &#8212; Seven days a week, 365 days a year, the <a href=\"https:\/\/strongheartshelpline.org\/\">StrongHearts Native Helpline<\/a> provides care and services for Indigenous people experiencing domestic violence. On September 24, it <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/09\/24\/press-release-grant-awarded-for-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline\/\">earned the title of National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline<\/a> with new direct funding from the federal government.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe StrongHearts line was first established in 2017. The National Indigenous Women\u2019s Resource Center and the National Domestic Violence Hotline collaborated on its creation after identifying a service gap for Indigenous callers.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t think that people fully understand how challenging it is for us to seek service,\u201d said Memory Dawn Long Chase, domestic violence response director at the <a href=https:\/\/www.swiwc.org>Southwest Indigenous Women\u2019s Coalition<\/a>. \u201cPeople have heard of missing and murdered Indigenous people, but I don\u2019t know that people that haven\u2019t lived it or do this work fully understand how pervasive the barriers are.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe coalition already refers people to the line \u2014 Long Chase noted she had the number memorized because \u201cyou never know when somebody\u2019s going to need that number.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/09\/24\/press-release-grant-awarded-for-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/19\/indianzcomdefaultimage-15.jpg\" alt=\"Press Release: Grant awarded for National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/09\/24\/press-release-grant-awarded-for-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline\/\">\n\t\t\tPress Release: Grant awarded for National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/09\/24\/press-release-grant-awarded-for-national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>A five-year federal grant will fund the National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe grant for StrongHearts was announced just ahead of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. It\u2019s just one part of the recent push and advocacy for domestic violence and missing and murdered cases in Indigenous communities.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIndigenous communities experience high rates of violence. More than 50% of Native American and Alaska Native women have been victims of sexual violence, according to the Department of Justice. Additionally, 84% of Indigenous women and 82% of Indigenous men have experienced violence at some point in their lifetime. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAmerican Indian and Alaska Native women are 1.7 times more likely to experience violence compared to their white counterparts, according to the National Congress of American Indians.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nLong Chase is especially close to the fight for missing and murdered Indigenous women and violence against Indigenous people. Her older sister, Lori Long Chase, went missing in 1983 at the age of 17. A body was found roughly a month after Lori, a member of the San Carlos Apache Reservation, went missing. The remains remained unidentified until 2024, when it was finally named as Lori\u2019s body, 41 years after she disappeared.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nLong Chase and the Southwest Indigenous Women\u2019s Coalition work with Indigenous communities to better respond to violence through education and advocacy. A culturally specific hotline better aids the needs of Indigenous communities across the nation, and the direct funding provides the opportunity for further improved care, she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cHaving that direct relationship is really important so that we have that streamlined communication,\u201d said Rachel Carr-Shunk, deputy executive officer of StrongHearts Native Helpline. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nStreamlined communication with the Administration for Children and Families could improve practices because StrongHearts can now directly communicate the needs of callers, Carr-Shunk said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe $15 million, five-year grant to StrongHearts comes from the ACF,  the second-largest agency in the Department of Health and Human Services. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nStrongHearts previously operated as a subgrantee of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The line received discretionary funds from the Family and Youth Services Bureau, which it allocated to StrongHearts.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline takes calls from anyone, regardless of whether the caller is Indigenous. The advocates who answer the phones direct callers to services in or near their community. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAdvocates for StrongHearts work remotely, though the organization\u2019s headquarters are near Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, on the ancestral lands of the Sioux Santee Wahpekute people.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/02\/06\/stronghearts-native-helpline-honoring-native-cultures-and-traditions\/dreamcatcher\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30811\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1941\" data-attachment-id=\"30811\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/02\/06\/stronghearts-native-helpline-honoring-native-cultures-and-traditions\/dreamcatcher\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06\/Dreamcatcher-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1941\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Dreamcatcher\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Dreamcatcher&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A dreamcatcher and staff. Photo courtesy StrongHearts Native Helpline &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06\/Dreamcatcher-1024x776.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06\/Dreamcatcher-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Dreamcatcher\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-30811\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">A dreamcatcher and staff. Photo courtesy StrongHearts Native Helpline <\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Renewed interest amid uncertainty<\/div>\r\nIn May, Arizona passed the Turquoise Alert, also known as Emily\u2019s Law. It is named for Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe who went missing in January. Her remains were found February 14 in garbage bags along an Arizona highway. Her murder remains unsolved.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe Turquoise Alert went into effect in July 2025.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nArizona Rep. Brian Garcia (D-Tempe) co-sponsored the bill for the Turquoise Alert. He said he was pleased with the announcement of StrongHeart\u2019s new funding and culturally specific services for Indigenous communities.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cMy hope would be that any program and funding that impacts Native people, right, is always centered around the impact of Native people that it\u2019s intended to serve, irrespective of where the funding is coming from,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut more needs to be done at the state level, Garcia said. He said Arizona could do more to provide what the federal government can\u2019t, such as eviction support, additional funding to tribes and programs, and legal services. But that\u2019s easier said than done.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThere obviously isn\u2019t enough money in the state budget, and now with the federal cuts coming, it\u2019s pretty difficult to try and find that financial piece of support to be able to fund the gaps that tribes are in need of,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">StrongHearts Native Helpline is a 24\/7 safe, confidential and anonymous domestic and sexual violence helpline for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, offering support and advocacy. \ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc22<br><br>\ud83d\udcde Call, text, or chat with us 24\/7!<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6NAfra9Vhb\">https:\/\/t.co\/6NAfra9Vhb<\/a><br>1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1ehiuLW2S3\">pic.twitter.com\/1ehiuLW2S3<\/a><\/p>&mdash; strongheartsdv (@strongheartsdv) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/strongheartsdv\/status\/1979699170437972464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 19, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCarr-Shunk said the federal government shutdown has not had an effect on the grant, but she\u2019s not sure if it could in the future. And at the end of the five years, StrongHearts will be left with a \u201cwhat-if\u201d on the renewal of their funding, though Carr-Shunk is hopeful. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI certainly hope that this, this level of commitment, this five years, continues beyond five years,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause we know that the need is so significant.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<EM>\r\nIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, visit StrongHearts Native Helpline \u2013 844-7NATIVE (762-8483) and online at <a href=https:\/\/strongheartshelpline.org\/>strongheartshelpline.org<\/a>, available 24\/7.<\/em>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2025\/10\/09\/national-indigenous-domestic-violence-hotline-provides-cultural-care\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven days a week, 365 days a year, the StrongHearts Native Helpline provides care and services for Indigenous people experiencing domestic violence.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[3809,42,6246,46,6188,248,6835,381,7,4966,359,47,6836,224,196,44,102],"class_list":["post-255386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law","category-national","tag-acf","tag-arizona","tag-brian-garcia","tag-cronkite-news","tag-emily-pike","tag-hhs","tag-memory-dawn-long-chase","tag-minnesota","tag-ncai","tag-neebinnaukzhik-southall","tag-niwrc","tag-race","tag-rachel-carr-shunk","tag-shutdown","tag-stronghearts-native-helpline","tag-women","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06\/Dreamcatcher-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-14r8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255386"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":262770,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255386\/revisions\/262770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}