We've been talking through this issue in Houston quite a bit lately.
1. Experiencing gun violence is an ACE. While the immediate victim(s) may receive victim advocacy services, crime victim compensation, etc., many in some of our hardest hit communities turn it down. Sadly, this increased the likelihood that the victim and their immediate family won't receive any trauma-informed care to help them process and recover from the trauma.
2. While advocacy m/support services are generally offered to a victim following an incident, the trauma to the adjacent community seems to go largely ignored. Think of an apartment complex and a drive by shooting. Every child at the complex picks up an ACE in the incident. But outs moist likely that none will receive any intervention.
I think this speaks to a need for a broader definition of victim, and a radically expanded model of crime victim outreach and advocacy. May need to contemplate if there might be need to exams allowable expenditures with crime victim compensation funding.
Just my 2 cents.
