Native Veterans Program
Standing Alongside Our Native Veterans And Their Families
"Service is Ceremony"
About The Program
The Native Veterans Program at the United Indians of Tribes Foundation serves self-identifying Indigenous veterans and their families in Washington State. We strive to be a home for Native veterans of all backgrounds, generations, and intersectional identities. We also aim to uplift programming for veterans who identify as female, Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+, and/or unhoused. Our mission is to help align service systems to improve health and wellbeing for Native veterans and their family members.
The Native Veterans Program supports and honors Indigenous veterans by providing services in three main categories:
Assistance
We will help you navigate through benefits and bureaucracy at the VA and relevant local, state, and federal agencies, including, but not limited to:
- VA Disability Claims and/or Pension
- VA Death and Survivor Benefits
- Education and Employment
- Health Care
- Housing
- Legal Services
- PTSD / MST Resources
- Resources for Female, 2Spirit and/or LGBTQ veterans
- Food & Transportation Assistance
- Unemployment and Career Services
- Rental Assistance
- … and More!
Community & Connection
We are building a community of Native veterans in the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) region by hosting:
- Native Veteran Color Guard
- Veterans Powwows
- Volunteer opportunities
- Barbecues
- Resource Fairs
- Connection to Cultural Programming
- Sharing circles and spaces for Female, Two-Spirit + Indigiqueer veterans
- … and More!
Healing
We want to join YOU on your healing journey!
- Looking for Sweat Lodge and/or Talking Circle with other Native veterans?
- Looking for a Native veteran to talk to?
- Looking for a therapist or mental health care?
- Asking for help is hard. We are here for you!
Interested in Connecting? Fill out our contact form below!
Native Veteran Research Project
The Native Veterans Program has procured support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for an intensive research project.
We are seeking to understand the challenges and successes that Native veterans may experience as they navigate through essential veteran health services. We aim to get to the root of why people may face barriers when trying to access the care they need. Information gathered through surveys, interviews, and focus groups will help us to align systems of care and improve service accessibility for those who have served in the armed forces.
We work with Native veterans in the community, along with system and community partners to identify barriers, brainstorm solutions, and pilot an innovative approach to improve the holistic health and wellbeing of Native veterans in the Salish Sea region.
Our NEW Navigator pilot program is here to help YOU navigate through complex, bureaucratic, and confusing systems of care. We aim to be a helping hand to get you connected to the services you deserve.