Our Story
Born from the land. Built for our people.
Naa'e Sanctuary was founded on a simple belief: that Native American's deserve a path to recovery that honors who we are, our history, our culture, and our inherent worth.
How We Began
A need that could not be ignored.
Safe Homes for Our Relatives on the Road to Recovery
Naa’e Sanctuary is a grassroots organization built on the belief that healing begins with one person, one home, and one community.
Our founder, Tammy Neihart, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes who grew up in Arapaho, Oklahoma, has witnessed the devastating effects of substance abuse and opioid addiction. Those experiences inspired her commitment to creating safe, culturally grounded spaces where our relatives can heal and rebuild their lives.
For generations, Native American communities have faced disproportionately high rates of substance abuse and overdose, fueled by historical trauma, displacement, and barriers to culturally responsive care. According to the CDC, the drug overdose death rate among American Indian and Alaska Native people reached 51.6 deaths per 100,000, compared with a national rate of 23.1.
Starting with one sober living home, Naa’e Sanctuary is working to bridge the gap between traditional recovery programs and the ongoing support our relatives need. We believe recovery is more than sobriety. It is about restoring dignity, reconnecting with culture, building independence, and finding a sense of belonging.
We are starting with one home, but our vision is much greater: a future where every relative has a safe place to heal, recover, and thrive.
“Naa’e is a root word coming from the Cheyenne word É-naä’e, meaning ‘he is doctoring.’ For us, that connection to healing begins with a place to call home, a sense of belonging, and the space to return to yourself.”
— Naa'e Sanctuary
What We Stand On
Our values are our foundation.
Cultural identity
We believe that reconnecting with one's culture is not a supplement to recovery. It is recovery. Identity is medicine.
Dignity and respect
Every person who walks through our door is treated with the full dignity they deserve, regardless of where they have been or what they have been through.
Community over isolation
Healing does not happen alone. We create the conditions for genuine belonging among residents, families, and the broader Native community.
Whole-person care
We address the mind, body, and spirit together. Sobriety is the beginning, not the end, of the
Accountability with compassion
We hold our residents to high standards because we believe in their capacity to meet them, and we walk alongside them when the path is hard.
Sovereignty and self-determination
We honor the sovereignty of each individual and each nation. Our residents define their own healing path; we provide the structure and support to walk it.
Sober Living
Stable ground for lasting recovery.
Naa'e Sanctuary provides a structured, supportive residential environment for Native American men and women in recovery. Our sober living home offers more than a roof. It offers belonging.
Residents live alongside others who understand the unique challenges of navigating sobriety within a cultural context that has often been overlooked by mainstream treatment systems.
Cultural Healing
Recovery through cultural reconnection.
For many Native people, disconnection from culture and identity is at the root of addiction. We make a safe space for our relatives to find strength in community.
Through that connection, we nurture belonging, strength, and a path forward.
Talking circles
A sacred space for honest sharing, listening, and mutual support, grounded in the Indigenous tradition of communal healing.
Sweat lodge ceremonies
Providing resources to traditional purification ceremonies offered in partnership with tribal elders and spiritual leaders.
Elder mentorship
Residents are connected with Native elders who offer guidance, cultural knowledge, and a living link to ancestral wisdom.
Land-based healing
Time in nature on the land, through walks, gardening, and outdoor ceremony, as a grounding practice for the spirit.
Traditional arts
Beadwork, drumming, and other traditional arts as meditative, expressive, and identity-affirming practices.
Community Resources
You are not navigating this alone.
We connect residents and families with a network of services that support long-term recovery and wellbeing.
Substance use counseling
Referrals to Individual and group counseling through licensed providers with experience in Native communities.
Mental health support
Referrals to therapists and counselors who understand intergenerational trauma and cultural context.
Employment & education
Connections to job training, GED programs, and vocational resources.
Advocacy
Navigation support for tribal enrollment, and accessing benefits.
Family reunification
Support for rebuilding family relationships.
Spiritual guidance referrals
Connection to tribal spiritual leaders, and faith communities of the resident's choosing.
Walk with us.
Whether you are seeking a place to heal, looking for resources for a loved one, or want to learn more about our work, we welcome you.