BY ARLYSSA BECENTI
NAVAJO TIMES
WINDOW ROCK – Efforts are being made to find resources to reopen the Shiprock Home for Women and Children after its closure was announced in April.
The Shiprock home, one of only three shelters on the Navajo Nation that offers services for domestic violent victims, has been closed due to funding issues.
A number of officials like Shiprock Chapter President Chili Yazzie are now working to reopen it.
“We have a real important and urgent situation on our hands with the shelter,” said Yazzie in a phone interview. “It’s a crisis. We have to have these services available; there’s no question about it.”
Yazzie said he was meeting with concerned service providers from various entities and discussed different options that they may have to help the situation immediately to get the shelter open in the next few days.
“They’ve been in discussion with other programs on the Rez,” said Yazzie. “Talking to the extent of exploring the establishment of a network of facilitators and programs. We’ve narrowed down some options but I don’t think I’ll be at liberty to discuss those.”
The root of the financial problems for the shelter may have started when the Navajo Nation took over the shelter and its funding source, or it may have been the federal taxes that the shelter owes. That part is unclear, say tribal leaders.
But, for Navajo President Russell Begaye, who had served as Shiprock’s delegate during the 22nd council, he said he believes it was when the Nation took over the shelter that brought it down.
“I don’t know under whose administration … the Navajo Nation decided to bring all federal monies to Window Rock and centralize it,” said Begaye in a phone interview. “They stopped (the Shiprock Home for Women and Children’s) direct funding and brought it into Navajo and they started sending those dollars to other entities doing the same thing.”
Begaye specified that the funding that once went to the Shiprock shelter went to shelters in Grants, Gallup and Farmington “off the Nation, basically.” He said the shelter was doing well until the Navajo Nation said they wanted more control over it.
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Jonathan Hale (Oak Springs/St. Michaels) said he is looking into a legislation to financially assist in reopening the shelter but he is skeptical that the executive branch will sign off on it, or give the Office of Management and Budget Division the clearance.
He said the reason for the closing is that the taxes are due. This problem, aside from the internal process, is a hindrance in seeking dollars from the Navajo Nation.
“They say we can’t give you new monies until you clean up your audit,” said Hale. “Even if I drop the legislation, they will just mark it up and say ‘the division director never signed it. It was never supported by the President’s office,’ so I can’t initiate a legislation with that being the way it is.”
Begaye said a new facility is in the midst of being constructed to replace the old building. He said finding dedicated people who will run the new shelter is important.
“Since its closed we are in the process of getting Social Services to step in and restart the shelter,” said Begaye. “We’ll get it restarted and evaluate who should run this. You need people who are passionate. We’ll move forward to get the new facility done. I know we will have it up and running again.”