Nevada’s only Native American youth shelter gets lifeline as it fights for survival

Nevada’s only shelter for Native American youth will remain open through the end of the year thanks to a quarter-million dollar donation from the NV Energy Foundation.

The 10-bed facility, located about 20 miles outside of Fallon, was scheduled to close in mid-September amid a budgetary disagreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that led to a loss of funding.

Vice Chairman of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe Andrew Hicks said the donation is a much-needed lifeline that will allow the shelter to continue serving Native American children while navigating its dispute with the BIA and working to ensure the shelter’s finances are sustainable moving forward.

“We have felt alone and frustrated in this battle,” Hicks said in an interview with The Nevada Independent. “We are so grateful and overwhelmed by the generosity, support and compassion demonstrated by NV Energy to make our native foster children their priority, too.”

Ryan Bellows, the vice president of government and external relations at NV Energy, has served as a judge overseeing juvenile and family services cases for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe since 2009.

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