FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2025
| Press Contact: AKNWRC Communications | Tel: (907) 378‑3339 |
| media@aknwrc.org | www.aknwrc.org |
AKNWRC CELEBRATES THE HISTORIC $15 MILLION FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN STRONGHEARTS NATIVE HELPLINE AS THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL INDIGENOUS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
FAIRBANKS, AK — The Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) celebrates the announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a $15 million, five-year grant to fund the National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline, operated by StrongHearts Native Helpline.
This historic investment represents the first standalone National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline and addresses the gap in services for the most violence-affected demographic in the United States. According to a study from the National Institute of Justice, four out of five Alaska Native and American Indian women experience domestic violence at a disproportionately higher rate than non-native women.
“This federal investment is a testament to decades of advocacy by Tribal leaders and organizations like StrongHearts who have tirelessly worked to address the critical gap in services for our Native relatives,” said Tami Truett Jerue, Executive Director of the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center. “As a strong partner of StrongHearts, we have witnessed firsthand their life-saving work and culturally-grounded approach to supporting survivors in Alaska Native Villages and Indian Country.”
Since launching in 2017, StrongHearts has become a lifeline for Native communities, handling over 67,000 points of contact from people seeking support. In 2024 alone, the helpline managed 13,520 calls, texts, and chats, with more than 1,000 callers seeking emergency shelter assistance, highlighting the housing crisis many survivors face.
This grant, administered through HHS’s Administration for Children and Families and authorized by the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), gives StrongHearts direct federal support and greater stability to operate the official National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline.
“By creating the first National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline, the Administration is responding to decades of Tribal leaders’ advocacy for dedicated American Indian and Alaska Native domestic violence services,” said Administration for Children and Families Acting
Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “This investment ensures that Native survivors – many of whom live in rural or under-resourced areas – have access to 24/7 lifesaving support.”
The National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline will operate 24/7, offering confidential, toll-free support via call, text, and online chat, staffed by trained advocates with expertise in Tribal cultures, sovereignty, and jurisdictional complexities. The helpline provides comprehensive services, including crisis intervention, safety planning, domestic violence education, specialized referrals to Native-centered providers, legal support, and emergency shelter assistance. In 2024, StrongHearts made 4,330 referrals to Native providers and 1,250 referrals to non-Native providers, demonstrating their commitment to culturally appropriate care.
About StrongHearts Native Helpline:
StrongHearts Native Helpline offers 24/7 confidential and anonymous support to Native Americans and Alaska Natives impacted by domestic and sexual violence. The helpline can be reached by calling or texting 1–844-7NATIVE (762‑8483) or through online chat at strongheartshelpline.org.
About the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center:
Organized in 2015, the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center is a Tribal nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against women with Alaska’s 229 Tribes and allied organizations. AKNWRC board members are Alaska Native women raised in Alaska Native Villages and have 153 years of combined experience in Tribal governments, nonprofit management, domestic violence, and sexual assault advocacy (both individual crisis and systems), and grassroots social change advocacy at the local, statewide, regional, national, and international levels. AKNWRC’s philosophy is that violence against women is rooted in the colonization of Indigenous Nations.
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