Click the links below for information and application process:
General Welfare Assistance Information
2026 General Welfare Application – Adult
News Update November 12, 2025
Negotiations over the future of the Colorado River have reached a standstill after all seven basin states failed to meet a key federal deadline. Reports from 12News and 8NewsNow confirm that the states were unable to agree on a new water-sharing plan, leaving the situation unresolved as the river continues to decline.
High Country News explains that the biggest disagreements involve how much each state should give up in the future. The upper Basin states want fewer mandatory reductions, while the Lower Basin states, including Arizona, say they have already taken the deepest cuts and cannot continue to absorb the majority of the impacts.
With no agreement in place, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has asked the Trump administration to intervene. She stated that Arizona has made significant sacrifices and cannot carry the weight of the reductions while other states refuse to commit to measurable cuts. If the states cannot reach a plan soon, the federal government may create one for them.
For the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the outcome of these negotiations has major importance. CRIT holds valuable senior water rights and relies on a stable and fair management plan to ensure long-term security for the community and the region.
For more information, you can read the news articles with the links below.
High Country News
https://www.hcn.org/articles/why-colorado-river-negotiations-are-so-difficult/
12 News
/wednesday-is-deadline-for-7-state-including-arizona-to-negotiate-the-colorado-river
A pair of recent power outages saw CRIT take action to ensure the health and safety of its members. A BIA outage impacted about 100 customers on June 7th. Power was restored by midafternoon. CRIT operated a number of cooling stations for those needing assistance.
A much larger outage effecting about 1,000 APS customers impacted the CRIT reservation and the Town of Parker on June 10th. CRIT once again opened cooling stations and initiated emergency plans. The outage began just after midnight. Full power was restored around 1pm that day.
The Sourdough fire burned about 715 acres before it was contained June 8th. The Sourdough Fire started on Wednesday, June 5th. Ground crews and aircraft battled the flames north of Ehrenberg. On June 6th, Nevada Team 3 took over management of the fire and provided extensive support in containment and securing the perimeter of the fire. CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores and members of the Tribal Council were regularly briefed on the efforts to control and contain the fire.
CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores recently attended a tribal leader roundtable with United States Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz to support the designation of the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and expansion of Joshua Tree National Park. The meeting took place in North Shore, California.
CRIT was invited by Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.
Chairwoman Flores spoke about the importance of protecting the fragile landscape that would make up the Chuckwalla National Monument. 
(Parker, Ariz.) The Colorado River Indian Tribes has broken ground on a new Head Start facility recognizing a dream that has taken years to realize. In 2009, the Tribal Council designated 12 acres for the permanent site and in the years that followed CRIT has worked jointly and tirelessly to get the necessary funding to make the project happen. The ceremony was held April 15th.
CRIT has had a Head Start program since 1965. Generations of former Head Start students and current students were on hand to attend the groundbreaking.
CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores said, “This ground has been blessed and is considered sacred; not only because the facility is being built on the grounds but because the land will become fertile soil for our young children. It will bring new life for generations to come, and for our children and babies to come to have hopes and dreams.”
More than 300 people attended the groundbreaking near the corner of Mohave Road and Navajo Avenue.
Attendees included Head Start representatives based in Washington, DC including Shaune Nicholls, and Trevondia Boykin, both of whom are Program Specialists with the American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start.
It was also a special day for Head Start Director Caroline Alcaida, her staff, and the Head Start Policy Council who were all in attendance. Following the groundbreaking, there was a children’s parade featuring the Head Start students as well as cultural performances representing the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo tribes.
TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona will host a special series of sign unveiling ceremonies on Friday, September 4, 2026, honoring the four languages of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT): Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, & Navajo. These ceremonies represent an important milestone in an ongoing campus-wide initiative to elevate the visibility, recognition, and continued presence of Indigenous languages and cultural heritage within the campus community.
The events are organized by the University of Arizona’s Office of Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement (NAATE) in collaboration with individual academic colleges. Students, faculty, staff, tribal community members, and the general public are invited to attend the progression of ceremonies throughout the day.
The schedule for the Friday ceremonies includes:
The celebration of Indigenous culture continues into the weekend with the Native American Heritage Game on Saturday, September 5, 2026. The Arizona Wildcats will face Northern Arizona at Casino Del Sol Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 6:30 PM MST. Pre-game festivities at Bear Down Field will begin at 3:15 PM with the Bear Down Bash, featuring 18-minute cultural performances from each tribe. A traditional gift presentation will follow during the Wildcat Walk at 4:15 PM, leading up to an on-field tribal recognition ceremony during the second quarter of the football game.
For more operational schedules or to register for the unveiling events, please visit the official University of Arizona Event Page.
