NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The Justice Department announced that it awarded 17 grants totaling $10.5 million to two Tribal governments and 15 organizations in the District of New Mexico for domestic violence prevention.

Data from the most recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate that about 41% of women and 26% of men experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and report an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime. Domestic violence rates are even higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, Black individuals, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals.

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The following New Mexican Tribal governments and organizations received federal grants to support survivors and fight domestic violence:

  • Capacity Builders, Inc. and the American Indian Development Associates, LLC each received $500,000 from the OVC Developing Future Victim Specialists to Serve American Indian Victims of Crime grant.
  • The Pueblo of Jemez and Santo Domingo Pueblo received $900,000 and $664,869, respectively, from the OVW Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program grant.
  • The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women received $382,188 from the OVW Grants to Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions grant.
  • The New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Program received $950,000, the Phoenix House Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Resource Center received $750,000, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center received $750,000, the Tri-County Family Justice Center of Northeast New Mexico received $616,950, and the Community Against Violence, Inc. received $500,000 from the OVW Rural Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program grant.
  • Casa Fortaleza received $495,000 from the OVW Sexual Assault Services Culturally Specific Program grant.
  • La Casa received $550,000 from the OVW Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking grant.
  • New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence received $108,034 from the OVC State and Territorial Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program grant.
  • New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Program received $232,584 from the OVC State and Territorial Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program grant.
  • New Mexico Dream Center of Albuquerque received a total of $1.8 million from the OVC Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Human Trafficking and OVC Services for Victims of Human Trafficking grant.
  • New Mexico Immigrant Law Center received $800,000 from the OVC Services for Victims of Human Trafficking grant.

“Everybody deserves to feel safe in their home,” said United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico Alexander Uballez. “We must believe survivors when they come forward, support them when they testify against their abusers, and have systems in place to aid them in healing.”

The grants were made possible under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).

“We are thrilled to receive funding to support the Tribal Victim Specialist Internship (TVSI) III for a third three-year cycle,” said President Ada Pecos Melton of the American Indian Development Associates, LLC. “Through the TVSI III, we are helping to link individuals interested in working with victims living in rural or remote Tribal settings with Tribes serving as host sites. The TVSI helps Tribes build programs that attract qualified and culturally informed individuals to strengthen and grow their victim services workforce. We thank OVC for funding this project in NM and across the nation with other providers.”

Organizations interested in applying for these and other grants are encouraged to visit the OVW and OVC websites for more details and application guidelines.

Immediate help for domestic violence victims is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the Strong Hearts Native Helpline at 1-844-762-8483. To find additional information on local support and resources by state, visit: https://www.justice.gov/ovw/local-resources.