Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 12, 2018 – Following the mass shooting attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has granted a $1 million grant for the victims, Senator Jay Costa, Jr. and Rep. Dan Frankel announced today.
On October 27, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and opened fire – killing eleven people and wounding six more. There were at least 30 people present in the synagogue that morning.
Following the attack, a Family Resource Center was set up to meet immediate needs of the victims, and the Center for Victims will now be able to provide more comprehensive victim services. The funds will pay for the Center for Victims to hire trauma informed counselors to reduce wait times for those in need.
“The aftereffects of this shooting still reverberate across our neighborhood and city, in the lives of the individual victims, as well as to the congregations and community,” said Representative Frankel. “I’m hopeful that people will be able to take advantage of important resources necessary to find their path through healing.”
“The victims and their families of this horrific event have suffered beyond my imagination,” said Senator Costa. “As they grieve and move forward from this tragedy, they may need specialized counseling services and they should have easy, quick access to that. This grant will help provide the kind of care they’ll need, and I hope that the community will take advantage of this offering.”
The funding for this grant comes from the Federal Victims of Crime Act funds. This fund was established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984.
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