Newtown to seek $8M federal grant for counseling
Newtown (AP) — Newtown officials plan to ask the federal government for an $8 million grant for mental health counseling for hundreds of people affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
First Selectman E. Patricia Llodra announced Tuesday night that the town will submit an application Thursday to the U.S. Department of Justice for an 18-month grant.
The News-Times of Danbury reports the money would be used to reimburse ongoing and new mental health counseling for about 400 people affected by the December 2012 fatal shootings of 20 first-graders and six educators.
The grant would help people with longer-term counseling needs, including police officers and other first responders.
Local nonprofit groups have been covering the costs of counseling and other trauma-related services for more than 250 families since the school shooting.
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