About

American Indian and Alaska Native women suffer some of the highest rates of violence and murder in the United States, a crisis that has diminished the honored status of women and safety in tribal communities. In spite of the high rates of violence experienced by AI/AN persons, only a small percentage reached out for assistance to The Hotline at the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

In 2012, The Hotline began discussing this issue with staff from the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) a Native-led nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against Native women and children. Together, they developed a program concept for a Native hotline developed by and run by Native advocates to support tribal communities across the United States. With input from tribal leaders, a Native women’s council, domestic violence experts, and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, the two organizations began laying the groundwork to develop a Native-centered hotline staffed by advocates with a strong understanding of Native cultures, as well as issues of tribal sovereignty and law.

By combining the technology and infrastructure of The Hotline with NIWRC’s expertise and community connections, as well as the trust of Native advocacy groups, their vision became a reality with the creation of the StrongHearts Native Helpline (StrongHearts) when it launched on March 6, 2017 in Minneapolis, MN which was made possible with support from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Verizon.

In March 2017, StrongHearts Native Helpline was launched in Minneapolis, MN. In August 2021, StrongHearts Native Helpline opened an administrative office in Michigan to expand victims advocacy services to Native Americans in that state. On October 1, 2021, StrongHearts became an independent nonprofit organization when they separated from parent organizations: NIWRC and The Hotline.

Today, StrongHearts has become a lifeline to Native American and Alaska Natives impacted by domestic and sexual violence by offering a culturally-appropriate, anonymous and confidential service available 24/7 nationwide. By calling or texting 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483), or chatting online at strongheartshelpline.org: survivors, family, friends and partners questioning their own behavior can connect with StrongHearts advocates who provide support and advocacy including:

• Crisis intervention.
• Assistance with safety planning.
• Domestic violence education and information.
• Referrals to Native-centered domestic violence and sexual violence service providers.
• Basic information about health options.
• Support finding a local health facility or crisis center trained in the care of sexual assault survivors and forensic exams.
• General information about jurisdiction and legal advocacy referrals.

Please browse our website for more information.

Caroline Laporte, Chairperson

Descendant of Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

Caroline LaPorte is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law (cum laude) and is an Associate Judge for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. She is an attorney/Judicial Advisor for the Seminole Tribe of Florida Tribal Court and adjunct instructor at the University of Miami, where she teaches Native and Indigenous studies. Previously, LaPorte was the Senior Native Affairs Policy Advisor for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) in D.C., and now returns to NIWRC as the first Director of its Tribal Safe Housing Center. Her work focuses on housing, human rights, children, firearms and criminal justice all within the gender-based violence framework. She serves on the American Bar Association's Victim’s Rights Task Force, co-chairs the Victim’s Committee for the Criminal Justice Section of the ABA, is a member of the Lenape Center’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force and helped start the National Working Group on Safe Housing for American Indians and Alaska Natives. LaPorte was named a Henry Bandier Fellow and was the Natasha Pettigrew Memorial Award Winner for her time as a fellow in the Children and Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law.

Tami Truett Jerue, Treasurer

Anvik Tribe

Tamra (Tami) Truett Jerue currently lives in Fairbanks having moved from Anvik Alaska, a small Deg it tan Athabascancommunity on the Yukon River. Currently, Jerue serves as the Executive Director of the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of five grandchildren. She has worked in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault and intersecting issues for the last 40 plus years in various capacities.

Her education includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Community Psychology and Secondary Education. She has been involved with many non-profit boards over the years and has worked most of her professional life in rural Tribal Alaska in many fields such as Therapist, Sexual Assault Counselor, Teacher, Tribal Administrator, Indian Child Welfare Act Social Worker and Trainer.

Gwendolyn Packard, Secretary

hanktonwan Dakota

Gwendolyn Packard, Training and Technical Assistance Specialist, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, has worked for many years in Indian country, both at the national and tribal level. She has served as editor for six national Indian publications.In 1990 she was instrumental in founding the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). Packard served as Executive Director for Morning Star House, an advocacy program that works with off-reservation Native women and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. She also served as Executive Director of the New Mexico Suicide Prevention Coalition and is founder and Co-Chair of Rain Cloud, the off-reservation behavioral health collaborative in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a survivor of domestic violence, a writer, a grassroots organizer and a community activist. She has three children and one granddog.