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Support for Shooting Victims at U.S. Military Sites in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Helping Chattanooga and the Nation Heal

We at OVC convey our deepest sympathies to the victims of the Chattanooga shootings, their families, the people of Tennessee, and those in mourning throughout the nation. The following resources may be able to help victims and their families, as well as the victim service providers that are assisting them.

Resources for Victims

  • Tennessee’s crime victim compensation program, funded through the OVC-administered Crime Victims Fund, helps victims offset the financial burden of funeral, mental health, medical, and other expenses related to the shootings. Following is contact information for this program:

    Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund
    SAFE Reimbursement
    Division of Claims Administration
    502 Deaderick Street
    Nashville, TN 37243-0202
    Phone: 615–741–2734

    • Access http://treasury.tn.gov/injury to locate compensation brochures in English and Spanish, as well as compensation application forms.

  • The Online Directory of Crime Victim Services is an online, searchable directory designed to help service providers and individuals locate crime victim services in the United States and other countries. Access the Directory to locate information about services in your area.

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  • The Disaster Distress Helpline, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), is a national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1–800-985–5990) and SMS (text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or man-made disasters.

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  • The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services provides a 24/7 Statewide Crisis Hotline to assist residents who are experiencing a mental health crises. Call the hotline, toll-free, at 1–855–CRISIS–1 (1–855–274–7471).

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  • The following publications may also be of assistance in the aftermath of this crime—

    OVC Handbook for Coping After Terrorism: A Guide to Healing and Recovery
    https://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/cat_hndbk/welcome.html
    This handbook provides victims of terrorism with information based on the expertise of mental health, crisis counseling, and victim assistance professionals. The handbook is intended to help these victims understand their reactions to an act of terrorism or mass violence.

    OVC Help Series for Crime Victims: Homicide
    https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/helpseries/pdfs/HelpBrochure_Homicide.pdf
    The OVC HELP Series of brochures provides a resource for victims of crime and the victim service providers that work with them every day. Each brochure defines a type of victimization; discusses what to do if you are the victim of this crime; and provides national resources for more information and assistance on where to go for help.

    Tips for Survivors: Coping with Grief After Community Violence
    https://store.samhsa.gov/product/coping-grief-after-community-violence/sma14-4888
    This tip sheet contains information about some of the signs of grief and anger and provides useful information about how to cope with grief.

    Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers
    https://store.samhsa.gov/product/tips-talking-helping-children-youth-cope-after-disaster-or-traumatic-event-guide-parents
    This fact sheet helps parents and teachers to recognize common reactions children of different age groups (preschool, early childhood, adolescence) experience after a disaster or traumatic event. It also offers tips on how to respond to children and adolescents in a helpful way, and when to seek support.

    What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime
    https://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/whatyoucando_2010/welcome.html
    This brochure highlights victims’ rights and compensation and assistance programs, and lists national organizations that help victims to find information or obtain referrals.

Resources for Victim Service Providers

  • The following publications may be of assistance to service providers in the aftermath of this crime—

    Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program
    https://www.ovc.gov/pdftxt/AEAP_Brochure.pdf
    This brochure describes OVC’s Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program, which provides federal funds to support crisis response, consequence management, criminal justice support, crime victim compensation, and training and technical assistance during crisis aftermath.

    Compensation Protocol: A Guide to Responding to Mass Casualty Incidents
    http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/212431NCJRS.pdf
    The product of the OVC-funded Mass Casualty Protocol project, this manual examines the role of victim compensation programs during a mass casualty incident and describes a strategy for serving victims, survivors, allied victim professionals, and compensation program staff.

    Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters
    https://store.samhsa.gov/product/ADM90-0537
    This Field Manual is intended for mental health workers and other human service providers who assist survivors following a disaster. This pocket reference provides the basics of disaster mental health, with numerous specific and practical suggestions for workers. Essential information about disaster survivors’ reactions and needs is included. "Helping" skills are described with guidance for when to refer for professional assistance. Strategies for worker stress prevention and management are presented in the last section.

    Mental Health Response to Mass Violence and Terrorism: A Field Guide
    https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/sma05-4025.pdf
    This guide is intended for service providers and professionals in the mental health field providing the basics in responding to and assisting victims and families during the aftermath of mass violence and terrorism.

    Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide
    https://www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-pfa-field-operations-guide-2nd-edition
    Developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD, Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed approach for assisting survivors of disaster and terrorism.

    Responding to Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence Crimes: Coordination and Collaboration Between American Red Cross Workers and Crime Victim Service Providers
    https://www.ovc.gov/publications/infores/redcross/ncj209681.pdf
    This booklet, jointly published by OVC and the American Red Cross (ARC), provides information on how ARC staff and volunteers can better assist victims of terrorism and mass violence crimes. It focuses on victims’ rights and needs, OVC resources, victim compensation and assistance, and key differences between the needs of victims of crime and victims of natural disasters.

    Terrorist Attacks and Children
    https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/type/terrorism_children.asp
    This article provides information on how children respond to terrorism and presents steps that professionals and parents can take to help children cope with acts of terrorism.

    For more information and resources, you may be interested in reviewing the following OVC topical pages—