FY2020 John A. Ketcher Youth Shelter Expansion to Enhance Victim Services

The Department of Justice developed a comprehensive and coordinated approach for tribal governments to apply for funding to reduce and prevent crime and victimization. Through this process, the Department's existing tribal government-specific programs are included in, and available through a single Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS). Through this solicitation, only one application was accepted from each federally recognized tribe to encourage comprehensive assessments of need and planning. Each tribe could apply for funding under eight purpose areas, which included funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing, Office of Justice Programs (including the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), and Office on Violence Against Women. The tribe had the flexibility to select the purpose areas whose funding addressed the needs of the tribe as outlined in its tribal and community profile. There were eight purpose areas in total. Purpose area 4 was dedicated to the Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program (TJSIP).

Funding through the Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program will support efforts to renovate or expand buildings to enhance conditions or to change the use of a building to any of the following purposes: police departments, courts, detention centers, multipurpose justice centers (including police departments, courts, and/or corrections), transitional living facilities (halfway houses), correctional alternative or treatment facilities, and domestic violence shelters/safe homes/transitional living facilities/advocacy programs. Funding will also support the building of prefabricated or permanent modular facilities where there are no existing permanent structures available or sufficient to address the tribe’s justice system infrastructure needs.

The Cherokee Nation proposed project will consist of an approximately 3,600-square foot expansion to the southern section of the existing building. The proposed expansion will provide five additional offices, a conference room, a multipurpose room, a life-skills kitchen classroom, two emergency use showers, and needed updates to the technology and phone systems on level with CN-wide systems. Human Service departments will utilize the additional five offices and conference room in order to provide expanded services to clients. These extended services will build upon the foundation of services already available to clients, such as counseling, mentoring, crisis intervention, outreach, and immediate needs.
CA/NCF