This past April, Lacina traveled to Alaska to participate in the National Indian Child Welfare Association’s annual “Protecting Our Children” conference. As part of this travel, she spent time visiting with community organizations and advocates from across Alaska. Learn more about her time in Alaska.
From April 15th- April 18th, The National Indian Child Welfare Association held its 36th annual conference on Protecting Our Children in Anchorage, Alaska. FCNL played a vital role in the establishment of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which created a protocol preventing Native children from being removed from their homes and tribal communities. Our work with ICWA continues as we partner with organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians to advocate for this gold standard of child welfare. Attending the conference was a great opportunity to connect with fellow advocates as well as use this time to learn more about Alaska Native communities. Through FCNL’s network, I connected with organizations in both Bethel, Anchorage, and in Fairbanks. Here’s a recap on what I learned from my time in Bethel.
Bethel
Urge the Senate to Support the Crime Victims Fund
A 5% set-aside for tribal law enforcement in the Crime Victims Fund enables Native American communities to heal and prevent crime.
After flying into Anchorage, I took a small prop plane to Bethel, a hub city in the Southwestern part of Alaska. Because of Bethel’s location within the waterways of the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, there are no roads in and out of the city. Flying is the only option during this time of year. In the summer time, when the Kuskokwim is flowing, river barges are available. While transportation access is limited, Bethel is not as remote as the numerous smaller villages surrounding it. Bethel is considered the hub for 56 villages, the majority of these village residents being Alaska Native. Several of these villages have populations less than 50 people, with Lime Village reporting 29 people on their 2010 census.
The recurring issues I heard during my meetings with community members, organizations, and coalitions is the high cost of living and access to services.
Living in Rural Alaska
The remote nature of this area of Alaska means the cost of importing goods is extremely high. There’s one grocery store in Bethel, and the cost of groceries is incredibly high compared to the lower 48. Walking around the grocery store I saw that a gallon of milk is $7 and one bottle of water was $6, while the cost of “luxury items” such as orange juice ($11), ice cream ($14), and shredded Kraft Cheese ($12) varied depending on sales. I saw one family ring up 4 basic grocery items for a total of $60. In addition to the cost of groceries, fuel costs are incredibly high as that also needs to be barged or flown in. According to town officials, monthly electrical bills for households in Bethel run between $200-$400/month depending on household sizes. Many households in this area depend on yearly subsidized power cost equalization to cover the high cost of utilities, but this assistance is determined by state budgets. Many homes don’t have running water as the cost of piping and construction is expensive (about $1 Million/1000ft to install pipes).
Because of the permafrost, houses in this area are built on pilings, stilt-like structures above ground. As the permafrost shifts, these pilings need to be leveled out, which is an expensive process. Climate change has brought higher spring/winter temperatures making the permafrost unstable, causing homes to need leveling more frequently, further adding to high living expenses.
With the high cost of living in rural areas, subsistence hunting and fishing is crucial to survival. For many subsistence is more than just economic stability and food security. It’s a matter of cultural practice for Alaska Natives, a means to keeping families connected to the traditional knowledge passed down the generations. Fishing and hunting is deeply connected to the spiritual values and lore for many tribes. These cultural connections are protective factors for youth development, strengthens families, and fosters healthier communities.
However, subsistence is at risk due to climate change. Many of the animal populations such as ptarmigan and rabbits have adapted to survive the long snowy winters. Rising temperatures have led to shorter winters and smaller snowfall. As such, winter animal populations have decreased, and hunters are bringing in less game. It’s alarming in terms of food security, but this reduction also means it’s harder to engaged in traditional hunting practices. Alaska Native families are concerned what this means for future generations.
Access to Community Resources and Services
The distance between villages impacts delivery of social services to this rural area. One state trooper post covers Bethel and the surrounding villages. These posts are set up to either have full-time personnel living in the area, or switches between out-of-town troopers covering the post for weekly shifts. When a crime is reported in smaller villages, troopers must fly in and out to respond. Travel is completely dependent on weather conditions which can delay services. Delays in response detrimentally affect public safety.
In my meeting with the Tundra Women’s Coalition, I learned that there is one Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) to service the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region. SANE nurses are trained to perform forensic collection of evidence after sexual assault, and can help survivors connect with resources and services. It’s recommended that this forensic evidence be collected within 72 hours of the assault. Survivors must fly into Bethel to receive this care, which means leaving their home and systems of support behind during a traumatic time. Unless they are receiving cost assistance from advocacy groups such as the Tundra Women’s Coalition, survivors must cover the cost of their own travel and medical care. Travel, distance, weather conditions, and cost of care are all factors that determine if a survivor is able to seek and receive medical care.
Providing Resources through Policy
From my meetings in Bethel, a continued ask is the provision of financial resources to support social programs and services. Programs like the Tundra Women’s Coalition could benefit from grant funding through the Crime Victims Fund. This funding supports victim assistance services such as providing financial support to cover medical costs, lost wages, and counseling services resulting from surviving a crime. The Crime Victims Fund provides grant funding to support crisis intervention, victim court advocacy, legal support, health services, bilingual/multilingual services, healing/cultural practices.
This past year, tribes were finally able to access the Victim Crimes Fund with a 3% set aside. Advocates have pushed for this set aside through appropriations for many years, the struggle being that there was no bill authorizing this set aside, which is how the SURVIVE act came to be. The SURVIVE Act creates a 5% set aside for tribes, with the grant programming administered by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime.
Please contact your senators now and urge them to support the tribal set-aside of the CVF.
FCNL’s priority is to have congress pass this authorization through the SURVIVE act, which will create a permanent 5% set aside for tribes. Congress must provide additional resources for tribal communities to provide comprehensive and culturally appropriate services to victims of crime, their families, and the community. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the appropriations process and ensure that this set-aside is in place for FY 2019. We at FCNL urge you to take action by asking your member of Congress to support this tribal set aside of the Crime Victims Fund for FY19, and to urge them to pass the SURVIVE ACT.
