WASHINGTON, DC – On December 12, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) announced a $775,914 grant from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to victims and their families, first responders, and members of the Newtown community in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The grant will help fund continued mental health services and other support services for victims, their families, and the entire community, including enhanced safety and security at the schools and parks.

Additionally, the grant will help reimburse the United Way for providing support to victims’ families after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

“As we near the two-year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which rocked our community and the entire country, I’m honored and proud to be announcing continued federal funding for mental health services for victims, their families, and the community as a whole. I commend the US Department of Justice for their continued support. While this grant will provide much-needed resources, the road to recovery will be long and arduous. I’m committed to continuing to do everything I can to secure long-term support the Newtown community needs to heal, no matter how long it takes,” said Congresswoman Esty.

“This grant provides substantial federal assistance for the ongoing physical and mental health needs of Newtown-- a community that has shown courage and grace in the face of unspeakable horror. Two years ago, the nation banded together with love, compassion and deep grief for the families forever impacted by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Newtown has shown incredible strength and resolve over the past two years, yet deep physical and psychological needs remain for the victims and their families, the first responders, and the community. This grant will significantly help address those needs and I will work to ensure that Newtown continues to receive the federal support and funding it needs on its journey to recovery,” said Senator Blumenthal.

“Since that terrible morning nearly two years ago, the families of the victims and the entire Newtown community have been tested to the very limits of human grief. This grant is another critical step in helping the community rebuild and heal, and I am thankful to the Department of Justice for their support. We are all obligated to ensure that Newtown’s teachers, students, and families have the resources they need to return to a safe and healthy learning environment, and I will advocate for them every step of the way,” said Senator Murphy.

Previously, on December 17, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime gave awarded a $1.5 million grant to reimburse costs incurred by organizations that provided crisis intervention services, trauma-informed care, select victim-related law enforcement support and costs incurred in moving students from Sandy Hook to a new school location.