Senator Tester Announces $1.3 Million to Support Montana Tribal Youth Program

U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today that the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will receive more than $1.3 million to continue funding its Tribal Wraparound Project, which addresses mental health issues in Indian Country.

"Our children are our future," said Tester, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "We have to make sure they have every resource they need to succeed and that’s exactly what this funding will do for youth that attend public schools across Indian Country."

Since 2010, the Tribal Wraparound Project has improved the mental health and wellbeing of tribal youth and their families by providing high-quality support services beyond classroom instruction on reservations around the state, including the tribal communities of Frazer, Heart Butte, Hays-Lodgepole, Brockton, Lame Deer and Pryor.

The funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Mental Health & Substance Abuse Service Grant Program, which Tester supports as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.