Newtown Police officers pay their respects at a makeshift memorial outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church during the first day of Sunday services following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Photo By Mario Tama/Getty Images
Fifth District U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Cheshire, and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, D, and Chris Murphy, announced a $7.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to the Town of Newtown to support victims, family members, first responders, and community members in the aftermath of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The grant will be used to support victim services with a portion reserved for school safety efforts. The funding will support new mental health services, specifically longer-term counseling for families, law enforcement, and first responders. It will also help reimburse ongoing services.
”This grant will provide much-needed relief and support for Newtown to help this brave community heal,” said Esty. “The community of Newtown has faced unimaginable tragedy with incredible strength and resiliency. Survivors, families, law enforcement, and first responders deserve sustained counseling services and enhanced school safety resources, and I’m grateful to the Department of Justice for responding with continued support. The leadership shown by First Selectman Pat Llodra, town officials, the courageous families, and community activists inspire us and the nation. I will continue to do all I can every day to support their efforts and to ensure that the community of Newtown has the resources it needs to fully recover and heal.”
”I remain in awe of the entire Newtown community for its strength, compassion and resiliency in the face of unspeakable tragedy,” said Blumenthal. “For those who lost loved ones, and for the students, educators and first responders who witnessed the unimaginable horror at Sandy Hook Elementary School, recovery may require continued services. I will continue to advocate for the Newtown community to aid its full recovery. I will also continue to work side by side with the advocates and families of Sandy Hook Elementary School who have turned their grief into a determined effort to change our nation’s deeply flawed gun laws to help ensure that no more families and communities have to endure the pain Newtown has experienced.”
”It’s our responsibility to do everything we can to help the Newtown community rebuild and recover,” said Murphy. “Victims, witnesses, and first responders in Newtown need comprehensive mental health and counseling services to help them cope with this tragedy, as well as improved school security to prevent future tragedies. Thankfully, the funding announced today will provide robust additional support for these critical services, and I thank the Department of Justice for answering our call for further assistance. But while this grant will go a long way to help the people of Newtown, they will continue to need our support in the coming months and years. Newtown will be recovering for a long time, and I will work tirelessly to support them every step of the way.”
”Newtown Youth and Family Services (NYFS) is very appreciative of the Connecticut congressional delegation for assisting in securing Federal AEAP Office of Victim Services grant funding,” Candice Bohr, Executive Director of Newtown Youth and Family Services. “We recognize this is a step in the long process of recovery. Since the tragedy, NYFS has increased its staffing capacity and has witness the client population quadruple in the last 18 months. We anticipate seeing a continued need in services and funding related to mental health, and we are committed to providing the continued support the Town, the school district, and the families of the community need.”
Last year, Newtown community received a $1.5 million grant from the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, the Newtown Public School District received $3.2 million through the U.S. Department of Education’s School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program in 2013 and 2014.
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