Family Violence
About Family Violence
We empower those seeking our services with the tools they need to rebuild their lives and become the strong individuals they were created to be; to effect social change through outreach and education in order to put an end to inter-generational violence; and to partner with state, county, and tribal court systems and law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
Community Needs Assessment 2022 Letter of Introduction
Contact Information
Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Department is now under the leadership of the Osage Nation Health System (ONHS).
ONHS Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Mark E. Rogers, MAL, CHC, FACHE, FACMPE
ONHS Director for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: Commander Brook Wallace, LCSW, BCD, U.S. Public Health Service
Family Violence Program Coordinator: Corrie O'Banion
24-HOUR CRISIS LINE: 866-897-4747
Crisis line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Office Phone: 918-287-5422
Email: Familyviolence@osagenation-nsn.gov
Crisis Line Procedures
If our Crisis Operator is on the line with another crisis call you will receive a call back if you leave a message stating it is safe to call you back. Please be advised that for security reasons, the number appearing on your caller I.D. will be different than the crisis line number you called.
When we answer the Crisis line, we simply say "hello" for your safety. The operator will not identify the line as a Family Violence Crisis line. If you ask the operator if you have called the crisis line, the operator will reply with, “May I help you?” This is to prevent abusers from checking your call log to find out if the call has been placed, which could put you in danger.
If you are unable to speak without being heard by your abuser, please feel free to text us. Again, let us know that it is safe to text you back. We will not respond to texts unless you have notified us that it is safe to do so.
OVC Tribal Financial Management Center: Supporting American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Who do we serve?
We serve any victim of domestic violence, family violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human sex trafficking on the Osage Reservation (Osage County) regardless of ethnicity; any Native victim residing in Oklahoma or Kansas; and any Osage victim regardless of where they may reside.
Abusers who require our services must be from Osage County if they are non-native. The only service we currently offer abusers is the provision of an Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment for the court or child protection agency. Abusers must call our main number at 918-287-5422 to provide needed information so that the assessment can be completed. You will not be seen without an appointment.
Protective Orders
Most protective orders in Osage County originate at the Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Department. Our staff will assist you in filling out the petition, filing it with the court, making any necessary amendments, and accompanying you to the hearing for a final order. Advocates will also offer you a referral to Legal Aid for free representation when possible.
We assist victims with both tribal and district protective order petition assistance. If your case is not family violence or intimate partner violence-related, you may need to attach a police report or police report number to your petition. Please call our main office prior to driving to Pawhuska to make sure.
Shelter Services
The Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Shelter is a 24-hour a day, 7 day a week shelter for all survivors of family/domestic violence residing on the Osage Reservation (Osage County), for all survivors enrolled in a federally recognized tribe who reside in Oklahoma and Kansas, and for all Osage survivors wherever they may reside. Osage survivors may require assistance with partner agencies for financial assistance to travel to the shelter if it is outside of our ground transportation service area. Our shelter does allow the minor children (of all ages and genders) of our survivors to accompany them during their stay. The shelter provides a communal living environment where survivors of family/domestic violence may develop a sense of community with the other shelter guests as well as with our staff.
Shelter guests will be provided with a myriad of daily activities and outings designed to increase independent living capabilities and improve self-esteem as well as receiving comprehensive case management, mental health and substance abuse treatment referrals, medical referrals, parenting classes, and other services necessary to promote autonomy and justice for survivors.
Walk-in Services
Walk-in services are available to any survivor of family violence, domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, or human sex trafficking, as well as to those referred to us by the Department of Human Services (DHS) or Osage Nation Social Services. Services are available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments are preferred due to the volume of clients. In the event that you walk in and your case is not one that involves imminent danger, you may be asked to schedule an appointment and come back. High lethality cases both scheduled or walk in will always receive priority. In the event of an emergency after hours or on weekends please call the Crisis Line at 866-897-4747. After hours temporary protective orders may be issued by any law enforcement agency if a survivor meets the standards of imminent danger. If one is issued, the survivor will have until the next business day to come in to our office to fill out a petition and file it with the courts.
Transportation
If you would like to come to our Family Violence Shelter, we can provide transportation via car or van if you have no other means to get there. We will ask you if you are in a safe place. For the safety of our staff, you must be in a safe place, well-lit and public. If you are unable to get to a safe place but still want to come to the shelter, we will call local law enforcement to request a civil standby while we retrieve you.
We provide transportation fully in Osage, Tulsa, Washington, and Kay counties. Other locations in Oklahoma must be within a 6 hour round trip driving distance from Pawhuska. We can partner with other agencies to bring you within the radius. Bus, plane, or other methods of transport to the shelter will be assessed on a case by case basis and subject to fund availability.
While at the shelter, if you have no other means of transportation, our staff will ensure that you have transportation to all appointments, job searches, housing searches, schooling, etc. Trips to the grocery store will be scheduled frequently throughout the week but may not be available on an individual basis. All transportation while at the shelter is subject to staff availability. Aside from initial transportation services to the shelter or time sensitive situations, all transportation requests must be submitted to a Shelter Advocate 48 hours prior to needed transport so that the advocate can place it on the calendar.
If you would like to leave our shelter, for any reason, we will provide transportation for you based on staff availability but may not take you to a private residence, for the safety of our staff.
Housing/Rental/Utility Assistance and Emergency Hotel Vouchers
While you are a guest at our shelter, our staff will assess the skills you need to obtain, or strengthen, your independent living capability so that we may work together to ensure your success when you are ready to leave the shelter.
At that time, shelter guests (all) and office clients who are survivors of intimate partner violence of any kind or sexual assault will be eligible for assistance with deposits for utilities or a home. The amount a person may be eligible for varies based on the number of dependents who will be residing in the home. Office clients who have existing mortgages, rental agreements, and utilities are also eligible for assistance with the same guidelines and payment cap. All financial assistance is subject to the same rules and regulations which will be provided upon application for these services. Assistance is available until funds are exhausted. Each client is only eligible once per fiscal year. All clients who are still residing with their abuser are intelligible for any financial assistance aside from assistance used to leave the abuser and establish his/her own residence.
In the event that the shelter is full, a person only needs a temporary safe place until an abuser is served or arrested, Covid exposure, temporary shelter closure, or a client is out of state, emergency hotel vouchers may be issued. Hotel vouchers are a temporary solution while the client locates a safe place to go or can return home. Vouchers are available until funds are expended. This service is also, in most cases, only allowed once per fiscal year.
Other Services
Relocation is only offered for clients who have been sexually assaulted and are needing to relocate out of the abuser’s home.
Comfort kits (bedding, toiletries, etc) are available for all clients of the shelter and will be given during the shelter intake. They are available as funds allow for office clients.
Food boxes with several meals are available at the office for clients in need.
Back to school supplies are available for the children of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors from June 1-September 1 until supplies are exhausted.
Smart locks, camera doorbells, security cameras and other safety items may be provided to eligible clients as supply allows. Priority is given to clients in whose situations involve physical danger or stalking.
Referrals
All clients may request referrals for counseling, medical care, or other services through the Osage Nation. Referrals may also be provided for county or state services upon request. Advocates are responsible for offering referrals and explaining what each agency can provide.
When you have been referred to us by DHS or Osage Nation Social Services, you will receive a danger/lethality assessment, which will be reported to the referring agency. We will also send them recommendations based on your score as well as your interview. Attendance at support group, or other service recommended to DHS, will be reported to DHS or Osage Nation Social Services (only with client permission) to show that you are compliant with our recommendations.
Support Groups
All Clients may attend one of our DV support groups or our Healing Circle, which is a support group for survivors of sexual assault (including adult survivors of childhood sexual assault).
Support groups are one of our initiatives that are currently in progress. Information will be updated regularly on days, times, and locations as it becomes available. If you are interested in a support group, please contact the main office so that a group can be created.
Victim Advocacy
While you are a guest at our shelter, our staff Advocate will meet with you at least once each week for no less than 45 minutes to work with you on setting goals, achieving goals, answering questions, and reviewing your service plan. During this time, clients may receive additional referrals, have their Advocate communicate on their behalf with other agencies, or just listen and offer emotional support.
Walk-in clients, scheduled office clients and those who are referred to us from outside agencies will also be assigned an Advocate.. While any Advocate in our office may assist you, your primary Advocate will be the main point of contact on your case. If your primary Advocate is unavailable or out of the office, please call the main line and give a detailed description of your needs or request so that another Advocate can temporarily work on your case.
Legal Advocacy
Advocates also provide court advocacy. This means an Advocate will go over court procedures and protocols prior to any court date. An Advocate will accompany you to file protective order petitions if requested and will attend all protective order hearings. Legal Advocacy is not limited to protective order hearings. If you need special arrangements made in order to attend court, like a safe place to wait or a security escort to and from your car, please notify your primary Advocate to make those arrangements. If you would like your Advocate to attend court with you, you may call our main office to schedule your court date. Advocates can attend criminal hearings for survivors who have an abuser who has been charged with a crime or attend family court hearings the abuser is a party to upon request. All hearings involving survivor testimony will be attended by an Advocate from ONFVPD in the Osage Nation Trial Court and an Advocate plus Victim Witness Coordinator from the Osage County District Attorney’s Office in Osage County Court.
Legal Services
The Osage Nation Family Violence Department has a partnership with multiple private attorneys servicing Osage Nation and Osage County. Our department is in the process of hiring a part time staff attorney and paralegal. Vouchers are provided for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault who need representation in other court matters where the abuser is a party. A private attorney will be paid up to $2500 for a retainer. The client is subject to fund availability, severity of the case, meeting the requirements of the application process and the ability to pay above the retainer if the attorney has not agreed to resolve the entire case for $2500. Please contact our office for attorney recommendations or for more information about the program.
Safety Planning
Policies are in place to provide for the safety of our shelter guests. Upon discharge from the shelter, guests will work with their advocate to create a safety plan for their new surroundings. A copy of your safety plan will be kept in your file at the shelter in case of an emergency.
All clients who fall into the categories of family violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, or human sex trafficking will be offered a safety plan whether their case originates in the office or shelter. Safety plans are an important element for survivors whether they have left their abuser or have remained for one reason or another. Safety plans can be modified to fit each living situation.
We may also, based on your situation, provide you with safety equipment such as personal alarms, pepper gel, new doorknobs/deadbolts, motion detector lights, or outdoor security cameras. We may also call local law enforcement in your area and ask for increased patrol in your neighborhood.
Address Confidentiality Program
The Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Department is a certified application assistant for the State of Oklahoma’s Confidential Address Program. If you would like to relocate and maintain a confidential address for your own safety, we can help you.
All Osage Nation departments are mandated by Osage law to accept address confidentiality verification cards along with a letter from Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Department when victims apply for other Osage Nation services.
Sexual Assault Services
The Osage Nation Family Violence Prevention Department has a dedicated Sexual Assault Advocate that provides accompaniment to survivors of sexual assault 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call for more information about relocation, legal services, sexual assault survivor kits, or individualized case management for survivors of sexual assault (including affected family members and survivors of childhood sexual assault regardless of age).
If you have been sexually assaulted and want help, please call our Crisis Line at 866-897-4747. A dedicated anonymous text/call hotline for sexual assault survivors will be coming soon.