DOJ Announces Mental Health and Community Grants for Native American and Alaskan Native Communities

Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services last week announced $800,000 in grant funding for a Mental Health and Community Safety Initiative. The grants, distributed through the Tribal Mental Health Program, have been awarded to seven Native American and Alaskan Native communities as part of a $3 million federal partnership between the Departments of Justice, HHS, Education and Interior. The program is intended to "create collaborative partnerships" between law enforcement, mental health, substance abuse, social service and public safety professionals. The grants were awarded to the following communities: Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium, Alaska; Ft. Peck Tribes, Mont.; Isleta Police Department, N.M.; Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Nev.; Comanche Indian Tribe, Okla.; Kaw Nation of Oklahoma; and the Lummi Indian Business Council, Wash. (Department of Justice release, 9/28).