In tragedies’ wake, Gov. Glenn Youngkin pushes for $10 million fund to support survivors of mass violence

Joe Samaha didn’t initially seek support after his daughter was killed during a 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech.

He managed his grief on his own at first, he said. But years later, he needed professional help.

“Healing is not linear,” said Samaha, who sought therapy for the first time eight years after his daughter’s death. “Someone might be doing OK for a time, then all of a sudden, they might need to check in with a therapist.”

Samaha is among those advocating for the creation of the Virginia Mass Violence Care Fund. The $10 million fund would help survivors and victims’ family members with their long-term mental and physical health needs.

On Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave the idea his support, including $10 million to launch the fund in his proposed budget amendments last week. His proposal comes in the wake of two tragedies in the commonwealth, including a Nov. 22 mass shooting at a Chesapeake Walmart that left six employees dead.

“We’re obviously very excited and thankful,” said Samaha, director of victims and survivors advocacy for the VTV Family Outreach Foundation, a nonprofit that assists mass shooting survivors nationwide.

Samaha said the fund would be self-sustaining; the $10 million would be conservatively invested and the money it brings in would support those impacted by mass violence.

Survivors and victims’ family members would be eligible to receive assistance at the three-year mark, Samaha explained. Other forms of support are generally available — such as federal grant money or private donations from community members — for the first two years after a tragedy, he said.

“This could be some comfort to the survivors and the families to know that they don’t have to worry about how they are going to take care of themselves from an event that they did not want or expect,” he said.

If the fund is created, Samaha said it would be the first of its kind in the nation. He hopes Virginia will “lead the way” and encourage other states to create similar programs.

Samaha and other advocates of the fund have pushed for its creation throughout the last year. In February, several advocates met with a group of state legislators in Richmond to share their stories.

Attorney General Jason Miyares, a former Virginia Beach delegate, told the group at the time that the idea had his support.

“It seems like sometimes the rest of society, somewhat tragically, will move on,” he said. “That’s easy for the rest of society, but not for the people who have had this scar ripped in their soul.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com