Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes

The Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma recognizes the need to assist the tribal community in times of crisis. A crisis can be an unsettling time for the affected parties; not having the resources to address the situation adds to the disruption. The Tribes through tribal council action authorized the organization of a program that will specifically serve the tribal member’s need in the time of crisis. The Crisis Assistance program has been formed to assist the unmet needs.
“With consideration to tribal traditions of communal care, the service mission strives to help the tribal members in times of crisis to reduce the stress. The Crisis Assistance program aims to ensure that tribal members maintain the basic necessities of life: shelter, health, well-being and safety in the event of the unexpected occurrence. The Crisis Assistance program will operate under the Department of Administration department. Program business hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:00 am to 12:00pm and 1:00 pm to 4:00pm. The Crisis Assistance Program will be closed on Wednesdays to allow for administrative duties.

The types of assistance available fall into four categories: shelter, food, medical, transportation. Assistance may be in the form of monetary payments, vouchers or merchandise/service cards and referrals to mote appropriate agencies. The program will focus on the unmet need.

The Tribal member will initiate services by walk-in to the department and complete the application form. An interview will occur with the Tribes Social Worker to devise a plan of assistance. This assessment will allow the Tribal member to receive the most appropriate resource and is an important step of the application process. Requests for phone assessments must have the required documentation submitted before an interview can take place. If these documents are not submitted prior to the interview, the Tribes’ reserve the right to require these documents before an interview can proceed. Once eligibility is established, the type of assistance will be granted.

It is the Tribal member’s responsibility to submit the required documentation or to follow up on the application. Applications that are pending documentation of assessment will be kept for a period of 30 days. After this timeframe, incomplete applications will be destroyed. The Tribal member will need to submit a new application. This will reduce paperwork maintenance.

All appropriate federal and Tribal Privacy and Confidentiality laws will apply to the process described above and the maintenance of the records/files generated. The Social Worker and the Tribes’ are bound to follow these laws. In some cases, Tribal members may be requested to sign a Release of Information form for the referral process In the event, the requesting party disagrees with a decision; this Tribal member has appeal rights. The rights begin with the Social Worker/Caseworker. The Director will review the case and decision and confer with the parties. If unsatisfactory, the next step that will be made is a conference with the other department Social Worker/Caseworkers.
Appeals will be discussed by all the department caseworkers the first Wednesday after receiving a written appeal. A majority decision will be made from this meeting regarding the appeal. This decision is final.

There are no other parties to appeal to after the final step has reached. The Legislative Branch will have no roles or authority in the decision making and appeal process as this program was enacted to operate under the Department of Administration umbrella”… [The program] will operate independently of the Legislative Branch.

All parties involved with the Crisis Assistance program have the right to expect a safe and pleasant atmosphere. Profane, abusive language or threats will not be tolerated by the Tribes. In the event of any confrontation, Law Enforcement will be called for the protection of Tribal members. The Tribes reserve the right to enforce policies that will ensure a safe environment.