Mental Health and Community Safety Initiative for American Indian/Alaska Native Children, Youth, and Families

The Indian Health Service (IHS) announces the availability of competitive grants under the Mental Health and Community Safety Initiative for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Children, Youth, and Families for fiscal year (FY) 2001. Grants under this Initiative will be administered by the following Federal Agencies: (1) The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (2) The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), United States Department of Justice (DOJ); and (3) The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), United States Department of Education (ED). The Initiative will provide tribes and tribal organizations with easy-to-access assistance in developing innovative strategies that focus on the mental health, behavioral, substance abuse, and community safety needs of AI/AN young people and their families through a coordinated Federal grant process. Total funding for the four grant programs involved in the Initiative is approximately $4.95 million. The primary purpose of the Initiative is to promote AI/AN youth mental health, education, and substance abuse-related (alcohol as well as drug abuse) services, and to support juvenile delinquency prevention and intervention through the creation and implementation of culturally sensitive programs. Grant funds will be available for the Initiative beginning in FY 2001, and a coordinated grant program may continue subject to the availability of funds. The Initiative will support tribes in providing a range of youth support services and programs to address the mental health and related needs of AI/AN young people and their families through various settings within the community, such as in the home, in the schools, in violence prevention education programs, in health care treatment programs, and in the juvenile justice system. Interagency programs are included in this effort based upon their combined potential to comprehensively address mental health, juvenile justice, and related issues. As part of this Initiative, tribes are encouraged to promote coordination and collaboration among the local programs that serve young people in their communities. Tribes are strongly encouraged to apply for one or more of the grant programs included in the Initiative. In submitting an application(s), tribes should identify the complex community issues involved and demonstrate how the proposed application(s) will provide for a comprehensive approach to addressing and attempting to solve these issues.