Grant awarded to Houlton Band of Maliseets

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced that the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $261,299 in federal funding to the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.  Allocated through the Office on Violence Against Women as part of the Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program, these funds will be used to renovate the DV/SA Program’s emergency center in order to better support and protect the women and children who stay there.  The funds will also be used to provide better law enforcement and improve services that are available to help victims of abuse.
“With this funding, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians will be better able to strengthen local law enforcement in order to protect the rights and safety of women within their community,”  Senators Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement.
The Grant to Indian Tribal Governments Program is designed to fulfill three main goals.  It seeks to: reduce the number of violent crimes committed against women; help Indian tribes to respond to violent crimes against Indian women; and, ensure that those who commit violent crimes against women are brought to legal justice.