YAKIMA, Wash. — The Yakama Nation is using emergency funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce to help tribal families pay for essentials after federal SNAP benefits failed to load at the start of November .

The funding covers rent, water and utility bills, phone bills, trash service, and groceries for qualified tribal members and federal employees serving the tribe who have gone unpaid during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Tribal leaders say the emergency assistance became critical as hundreds of residents began arriving at Yakama Nation Headquarters each day last week seeking help. More than 500 people lined up Friday at the Eagle Selatsi Auditorium, where the tribe opened an emergency services center.

About one in three people on the Yakama Reservation rely

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