Struggling Survivors of the Uvalde School Tragedy Continue to Seek Ongoing Assistance Three Years Later
In the small town of Uvalde, Texas, survivors of the 2022 school shooting continue to grapple with significant long-term challenges, including financial hardship, bureaucratic difficulties, and ongoing mental health needs.
Financial Hardship and Bureaucracy
Families received initial financial aid through donations and public programs such as the Texas Attorney General’s Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) Program. However, these funds were often limited to one year and capped, leaving survivors struggling to make ends meet. One survivor, for instance, received a $2,000 check the second year only to be informed that she had exceeded funding limits.
Many survivors also experience frustration with burdensome paperwork and lengthy application processes, leading some to give up on seeking aid. Despite initial emergency aid efforts, sustained financial support has been uneven, leaving survivors unsure where to turn for help or continued assistance.
Mental Health Needs
Three years after the shooting, survivors and families still seek mental health support, with emotional scars running deep. Texas invested $5 million for the Uvalde Together Resilience Center, a hub providing crisis counseling and behavioral health services, and allocated $1.25 million to the school district for trauma-informed care, counseling, and community outreach.
However, survivors report that many organizations that initially came to help have since vanished, impeding ongoing access to mental health resources. Amy Franco, a former educator at Robb Elementary School, suffered an anxiety attack on May 27, 2022, three days after the shooting, due to being wrongly blamed for leaving a door open by police statements. Franco, who is still struggling to find her pre-shooting self and faces ongoing mental health challenges, is on a waitlist for a one-year rental assistance program but payments could take another year to come, and only if the program receives funds.
Community Resources and Legislative Actions
Community-driven efforts such as GoFundMe campaigns and donation drives continue to provide some direct financial and material aid to victims and families. The Texas legislature passed the “Uvalde Strong Act,” which aims to improve police and school official preparedness and response to active shooter events, though this pertains more to prevention than survivor support.
Transparency efforts, such as releasing school shooting records, are ongoing to provide families with answers, which some survivors consider part of emotional and communal healing. However, the shooting created divisions between families who lost loved ones and those whose loved ones survived, as well as tension between those who support the law enforcement response and those who do not.
Franco, who closed the door as she ran into the school to warn children and staff of the shooter, is currently being treated for PTSD, depression, and anxiety and walks with a cane due to a foot injury sustained during the attack. Despite going through multiple mental health counselors, she could not try Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) due to unprocessed payments.
In summary, survivors confront persistent financial insecurity exacerbated by inadequate long-term bureaucratic support, coupled with continuing mental health challenges that outlast immediate post-shooting aid. While Texas state funds and community resources provide some assistance, many survivors feel the support has been fragmented and insufficiently sustained, with unmet needs in navigating aid systems and accessing consistent counseling services.
- Survivors and families of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting still require ongoing mental health support, as emotional scars persist despite investments in resources like the Uvalde Together Resilience Center and trauma-informed care.
- Sustained financial support for survivors has proven uneven, with many experiencing limitations in initial aid funds, burdensome paperwork, and lengthy application processes, leading some to forego seeking aid.
- The Texas legislature passed the "Uvalde Strong Act," primarily focusing on improving police and school official preparedness and response to active shooter events, though it does not directly address survivor support beyond prevention measures.
