Indian Tribe UT & NV- COVID-19 Relief Fund

Rural Utah Indian Tribe Needs Emergency Financial Assistance to Survive

The Confederated Tribe of the Goshute Reservation (the Goshute Tribe) Business Council, which is the governing body, requests immediate financial contributions from Go Fund Me in order to purchase food and necessary supplies to survive the COVID-19 epidemic. The Goshute Tribe is located in rural Ibapah, UT. We are approximately over 250 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT and an hour southeast of Wendover, UT. This means that the Goshute Tribe is a 3-hour drive from hospitals, health clinics, medical supplies, medical personnel, major grocery stores, law enforcement and other necessary resources.

The Goshute Tribal membership consists of 175 tribal members currently living on the reservation in Ibapah, UT. Of the 175 tribal members, 87 are elders and 30 are under the age of 12. The average income of the Goshute Tribal members is around $15,000 a year with an unemployment rate of at least 60%. Due to the high number of elderly and youth, and those living in poverty and who are high-risk individuals (with medical conditions), our community will be devastated when the COVID-19 pandemic reaches our people. 

 On March 14, 2020 the Goshute Business Council declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This action was necessary to ensure that the Goshute Tribe would be eligible for federal and state funding. Because of the remoteness of the Goshute Tribe, it is highly unlikely that federal and state funds will arrive in time. In addition, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has a legal and moral obligation to protect Indian tribes, will definitely not have enough resources to respond. In other words, when COVID-19 hits the Goshutes, it will be catastrophic especially without the proper supplies and resources.

It is not a matter of if the pandemic will strike the Goshute Tribe, but it is a matter of when as there are more isolated Indian tribes that have been affected by COVID-19 than the Goshutes.  To date, we have not had any positive cases and are striving to keep it that way to protect our community. Goshute Tribal leadership have done what they can to provide members with basic limited food and necessities that include cleaning and medical supplies, basic hygiene products, and water to avoid them having direct contact with others by leaving the Goshute reservation. However, those supplies are dwindling down in every household. Although the federal government is providing limited food and supply distributions, those distribution centers are located in Salt Lake City, UT which is a 3-hour drive from the reservation and is often depleted when we arrive. Goshute leadership has exhausted all available financial reserves and emergency funds is essential, in order to sustain and meet the needs of our elders for the past month.  

Goshute Tribal resources are minimal, and our tribe cannot afford to continue to provide supplies. Currently, the Goshute Tribe is in isolation and are under stay-at-home orders. We are seeking donations to help us provide these essential items to our membership. We take pride in our self-sustainability and ability to provide for our members but as with everyone we were not prepared for the devastation that this pandemic has created. Your donation will help us to shop for food and necessities for our community members. We have identified healthy individuals who can provide the necessary labor to get our essential supplies. 


Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. We thank you in advance and extend our wishes to your families of safety, good health and wellness. 

 
 Oh Si, Oh Si, Thank you.