STILWELL, Okla. — On Tuesday, December 20th, the Cherokee Nation will celebrate the opening of a new domestic violence shelter in Stilwell to help families and children who suffer from abuse.

The 11,000-square foot shelter will house up to six families, has an indoor child playroom and on-site staff.

During the opening, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., First Lady January Hoskin, Deputy Chief Bryan Warner, Council, Cabinet and members of the Task Force to Protect Women and Families will unveil several initiatives to address domestic violence in the Cherokee Nation Reservation in 2023, including a statewide intimate partner and family training summit in April.

Other major steps will also be announced.

“Ensuring our families and children are protected from the hands of violence is a priority and something Deputy Chief Warner and I have spent the last year advocating for and making significant changes to address,” Chief Hoskin said. “We’re extremely proud to not only open this shelter, but to also implement several new initiatives in the year ahead that will make sweeping and lasting changes across the reservation to keep our families and children safe.”