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TIWAHEWhat is Tiwahe
The Tiwahe (ti-wah-heh) Initiative is a five-year demonstration project supporting Indigenous communities to improve the health and well-being of families in tribal communities. Tiwahe allows tribes to fully exercise self-determination on how best to fund and support the services in their communities. It is a comprehensive, culturally appropriate approach toward building capacity in tribal communities and supporting holistic family well-being outcomes. It establishes an integrated model of service delivery to children, youth, and families to preserve the family unit and support healthy and productive Indigenous families.
❋ InitiativeThe Initiative is funded by Congress, through the Office of Indian Services (OIS), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as a demonstration project starting in Fiscal Year 2015 with four tribally based sites and two additional sites added in FY 2016.
❋ Ute Mountain Ute TribeEach Tiwahe Initiative site was given financial and administrative resources to develop a coordinated service delivery model centered on the needs of the family and community. The Ute Mountain UteTribe was selected to participate, and has received Tiwahe funding for 10 years, leading the charge to expand and enhance the program to benefit other tribes.
The Tiwahe Initiative is rooted in tribal values and principles. The goals and objectives are to improve the health, safety, and well-being of families by the implementation of a coordinated service delivery model among agencies and justice systems to:
-Increase access to family and social services,
-Create alternatives to incarceration via solution-focused sentencing options,
-Improve links to appropriate prevention, intervention, and treatment opportunities,
-Improve case management services, and
-Improve the overall partnerships among local, tribal, county, state, and federal providers to improve access to services for tribal children, youth, and families.
Currently the Tiwahe Initiative benefits 22 tribes due to the success of the pilot tribes and the role Ute Mountain Ute Tribe played in developing a framework for the Tiwahe Initiative.
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is working with the National Tiwahe
Director and legislators to write the program into law for permanent
funding. The purpose of the 2026 Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Five
Year Planning Retreat was to demonstrate to Congress tribes best
understand their challenges and solutions to community needs.
In addition, if given a chance to establish their own goals and objectives,
rather than adhere to strict grant guidelines, the tribe can positively
impact more of its members. The 2026 Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Five
Year Plan provides SMART Goals and Objectives, as well as Logic
Models with work plans to ensure the work gets done over the next
five years through 2030. Of major significance is the integration
of Social Services in the plan, along with a continuation of Youth
Development Services, and Housing Rehabilitation.
Planning for the next 5 years
The purpose of the 2026 Ute Mountain Ute Tribe FiveYear Planning Retreat was to demonstrate to Congress that tribes best understand their challenges and solutions to community needs.
