Governor Abbott announces services for victims of Sutherland Springs shooting
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced grant funding will be provided to support the long-term recovery efforts of survivors of the Sutherland Springs shooting.
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This funding will be given to six agencies to provide a coordinated response to assist residents of Sutherland Springs and the surrounding areas with community resiliency and recovery programs.
According to the Office of the Governor, over $2.3 million will be provided in grant funding to provide a variety of services including counseling, mental health screenings, education and legal assistance.
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"The act of pure evil inflicted on the faithful people of Sutherland Springs on November 5, 2017 will deeply affect the community, especially the surviving victims, for the rest of their lives," said Governor Abbott. "That is why it is so important that we continue to offer any necessary support to our fellow Texans still suffering from this tragedy. I hope these services will provide some relief and comfort for those Texans that need it the most."
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Services provided by the grant include:
- $550 thousand to University of Texas at San Antonio to coordinate and house two types of counseling services. One to contract with the Children’s Bereavement Center to serve children and their families. The second to provide adult services (primary, secondary, vicarious) through trauma specialists and counselors.
- $268 thousand to the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas to provide licensed mental health clinicians for mental health screenings, case management, psychological education for the children and families.
- $550 thousand to the Ecumenical Center to provide licensed mental health clinicians for mental health screenings, case management, psychological education and will continue mental health services if requested by residents.
- $500 thousand for Floresville ISD which has had an influx of traumatized children from Sutherland Springs. They will provide ongoing victim services for students and faculty in their district.
- $15 thousand for the San Antonio Bar Association to provide legal assistance to victims that need help with wills, estates, probate, and child custody.
- $450 thousand to the Camino Real Mental Health Authority currently serving as Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA). They will provide recovery coordination and liaison services for activities performed by the above stated entities, as well as Targeted referrals from the existing hotline, licensed counseling and case management for new and existing clients.
In the deadliest mass shooting in state history, twenty-six people had been killed and twenty others had been injured while attending a service at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
The ages of the dead range from five-years-old to seventy-two.