Resource Basket for Tribal Communities

Here are a list of free resources and easily accessible reporting centers for communities and families who are searching for a missing loved one.

When someone “goes missing” it does not necessarily mean a crime has been committed. Until a law enforcement investigation is conducted, it may not be clear if an individual is in danger. This is why it’s critical for law enforcement to take a report on every missing person.

It’s also important to consider if a disappearance could be voluntary. Disconnecting from family, friends and community is a dramatic and life-changing decision and does not happen without significant reasons, which could include preventing abuse to the individual or immediate family members.

Missing Child

• AMBER Alert in Indian Country provides integrated, one-stop access to child protection resources for families, Tribal law enforcement and public safety professionals. The site also includes specific resources and links on missing children for parents and community members.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is the central reporting center for missing children in the U.S.
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's List of Missing Child Clearinghouses provides contact information for each state’s missing child clearinghouse and resources to help with missing child cases.
• Missing-Child Emergency-Response Quick Reference Guide for Families Checklist is a checklist for families to use during an emergency response to a report of a missing or abducted child from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
• National Runaway Safeline provides 24-hour services to youth and teens and information for concerned adults on youth-related issues.
• When Your Child Is Missing is a guide for families written by parents who experienced firsthand the trauma of a missing child, from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

General Missing Person Resources

• National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) provides national leadership in ending gender-based violence in tribal communities by lifting up the collective voices of grassroots advocates and offering culturally grounded resources, technical assistance and training, and policy development to strengthen tribal sovereignty. Offers culturally grounded resources, technical assistance and training, and policy development to strengthen tribal sovereignty.
  • The Tribal Community Response When a Woman Is Missing: A Toolkit for Action from the NIWRC explains the important steps to take when a Native woman goes missing.
• The Indian Health Service center locator allows you to search for IHS hospitals, behavioral centers and general health clinics, which you can contact to see if an individual may have been seen there. Keep in mind, a patient can indicate they don’t want information shared and some institutions may prohibit giving out patient information to anyone.
• List of state medical examiners and coroners organizations throughout the United States from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a national information clearinghouse and resource center for missing, unidentified and unclaimed person cases across the United States, and offers investigative support for a long-term, missing loved one. Friends, family or the general public can use the NamUs database to share updates, access case information, and connect with criminal justice professionals. Contact NamUs at 833-872-5176 or NamUs@usdoj.gov, or contact a regional support specialist. 
• The FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program tracks violent crime data including information about missing and unidentified people.

Caring for mental health and substance use conditions is critical to overall health, both for individuals and for communities. Resources are available to find general information, as well as information on responding to crises and helping individuals find treatment.

Resources on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

• SAMHSA has a National Helpline that offers free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information for individuals and families facing mental health and/or substance use disorders. Call 800-662-HELP (4357). (English and Spanish.)
• The Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator from SAMHSA is a confidential tool to find help for substance use/addiction and mental health problems.
• SAMHSA’s Prevention of Substance Use and Mental Disorders webpage discusses how prevention and early intervention strategies can reduce the impact of substance use and mental disorders in America’s communities. 

Finding Mental Health Treatment

• Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator, from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), offers confidential and anonymous information for persons and their family members who are seeking treatment for a recent onset of serious mental illness. Find evidence-based programs that will provide medication, therapy, family and peer support and assistance.
• SMI Advisor: Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness is an SAMSHA initiative that offers information on screening and treating serious mental illness. Resources are provided for both clinicians/providers and individuals/families.

Suicide Prevention

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free, confidential emotional support, 24/7, to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Visit the Native Americans & Alaska Natives page or call 800-273-TALK (8255).

Finding Substance Use Disorder Treatment

• The Opioid Treatment Program Directory from SAMHSA lists opioid treatment programs in each state.
• SAMHSA has informative pages on adult drug use and methamphetamine use.

Violence is one factor that contributes to the issue of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. Below you will find resources that communities can use to respond to violence, including family violence, sexual assault and domestic violence, and human trafficking. Additionally, there are resources for those assisting in response efforts, for their own welfare. 

Addressing Violence

• Project Safe Neighborhood is a nationwide initiative coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors and community leaders to identify violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
• Changing Directions: Protecting Communities and Preventing Violence (panel presentation) was a CDC event featuring a panel of experts to topics impacting Native communities such as historic and ongoing trauma, institutional barriers, data misclassification and limited resources. Indigenous people have suffered historical and ongoing trauma through multiple avenues such as assimilation, language and land loss, forced placement in Indian boarding schools, and racism and micro-aggressions. These traumas contribute to AI/AN inequities.

Addressing Family Violence

• Child Support When You're Afraid of the Other Parent: Guide for Domestic Violence Advocates and Survivors is a guide from HHS to help survivors of domestic violence make fully informed decisions about safety and child support services. The guide provides a sequence of questions that survivors or domestic violence advocates can ask to learn about safety measures available in their state.
• Center for Native Child and Family Resilience partners with Indian Tribes to examine solutions for healing the ongoing family trauma persisting in the aftermath of the numerous historical injuries shared by many Tribal communities, including the break-up of Indian families and child removal.
• National Native Children's Trauma Center offer training and technical assistance aimed at increasing service providers' ability to respond to the trauma-related needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and youth in culturally appropriate ways.

Addressing Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence

• StrongHearts Native Helpline is a 24/7, safe, confidential and anonymous domestic, dating and sexual violence helpline from the Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition. The helpline can be reached at 844-7NATIVE (762-8483).
• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence offers information on the many issues related to domestic violence. Find a list of free, individualized trainings for a range of constituents on the NRCDV Technical Assistance page.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence. The hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233 (SAFE).

Addressing Human Trafficking

• The National Human Trafficking Hotline serves victims and survivors of human trafficking and the anti-trafficking community in the U.S. The toll-free hotline, funded by ACF, is available 24/7, nationwide, in more than 200 languages. Call 888-373-7888, contact by TTY at 711, or text 233733.

Support for Mental Health and Wellness

• The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit from the Office for Victims of Crime provides tools and resources for professionals exposed to the traumatic experiences of other people — known as vicarious trauma. Vicarious trauma is an inevitable occupational challenge for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement and other allied professionals.
• Self-Care Resources to Help Address Burnout and Increase Wellness in Tribal Child Welfare is a PDF from the Capacity Building Center for Tribes that offers tips and resources for professionals working in Tribal child welfare.