Tribal leaders approved a second wave of COVID-19 Pandemic financial assistance for thousands of tribal members on and off the reservation.
At the full board meeting Monday, August 10, 2020, the Tribal Executive Board approved to continue paying $200 a month for energy assistance for tribal members. This will continue until December 2020 and is available for all tribal members.
Tribal Councilwoman Patt Runs Through said this is for all tribal members, including those living off the reservation. She cited an example of a tribal member in Chicago, who called and asked if she was eligible for the energy assistance because she wasn’t on the reservation and married to a non-tribal member who has his name on the bills. The Chicago woman is eligible, Runs Through said, because she is a tribal member and her husband cares for her.
All Fort Peck tribal members can find applications for energy assistance on the Tribes website.
Before passing the final resolution, Runs Through said there are still people who did not apply for the first payment and they have until August 31, 2020 to apply. This is also available on the Tribes website fortpecktribes.org
The first payment, which is still being distributed, was $650 per adult and $200 per child.
In addition, a second wave of payments for is set for September 21, 2020. The checks will be in the mail, and any changes to mailing addresses need to be updated before August 31, 2020. 650 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act) $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill.
Of that $2.2 trillion, $24.1 million trickled down to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. This includes money given to Fort Peck Housing Authority and the local Indian Health Service.
