LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Since the 1 October shooting, the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center has helped with healing. Now, staff are making changes to continue that mission moving forward.
In the wake of the tragedy, the center opened its doors with the help of grant money. Originally, they provided legal and mental health services to families and survivors of the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Since then, the center has expanded to helping victims navigate victim benefits and provide service to all victims of violence.
“We’ve evolved because the needs have evolved,” Vegas Strong Resiliency Center Director Tennille Pereira explained. “We’ve seen a lot of healing in our community, but there are still needs that are out there.”
The center staff said they continue to encounter victims who continue their healing journey and need this center to connect to resources. Now, the team at the center is working to secure more funding.
The original money that helped open the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center came from a three-year grant. The grant was extended for another three years, but that funding comes to an end in December.
“We know that people don’t heal on a grant cycle,” Vegas Strong Resiliency Center Director Tennille Pereira said. “We’ve planned for this from the beginning, and we want people to know that the funding is ending but that doesn’t mean that we’re going away. We will continue to be here.”
The Vegas Strong Resiliency Center is currently running its sixth annual quilt raffle for 1 October survivors, bereaved relatives, and first responders. All quilts have been donated by quilting guilds and individuals in Nevada and around the country. For more details and other remembrance events this year for Route 91 survivors, family, and friends click here.
