Before May 24, the smile of Jessica Trevi帽o鈥檚 11-year-old daughter was contagious.
鈥淪he was always laughing,鈥� Trevi帽o said. 鈥淪he would always come up to me, hug me, kiss me and just want to be next to me. Now? I don't know my daughter any more.鈥�
That drastically changed the day of the shooting at Robb Elementary School, which left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Trevi帽o鈥檚 daughter is one of the school鈥檚 nearly 600 students still reeling in the massacre鈥檚 aftermath. While the 11-year-old wasn't physically injured, since the shooting, stress has dominated the little girl's thoughts.
鈥淲e have a soccer game this Saturday, and the first thing she asked me 鈥� 鈥榃hat if they shoot it up? What if I lose my brothers and sisters?鈥欌�� Trevi帽o said. 鈥淗ow do I respond to that?鈥�
Her daughter鈥檚 health has also deteriorated. Trevi帽o said the girl鈥檚 cardiologist explained the trauma of the shooting has affected her cardiac health.
鈥淪he can't even ride her bike down the street because she gets so exhausted from her heart not being able to work right,鈥� Trevi帽o said.
Since the shooting, Trevi帽o鈥檚 weeks are full of trips to San Antonio, taking her daughter to see specialists and counselors.
She said that鈥檚 costing the family about $2,000 per week. On top of that, she鈥檚 also paying for the mental health treatment two of her other kids are receiving.
鈥淎nd then you still have your house payments. I have a mortgage payment. I have a light bill. I have a water bill,鈥� Trevi帽o said.
鈥淲e have a lot of people looking for financial help. Their children don't want them to go back to work. It鈥檚 just a mess."Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio
In the aftermath of the tragedy, thousands of people donated millions of dollars to help families and survivors. Now, those recovering 鈥� like Trevi帽o鈥檚 family 鈥� say they need those funds.
She鈥檚 paying most of it out of pocket with her savings from working as a housekeeper, and she has a .
Trevi帽o should be eligible for reimbursements from the state through the Texas Crime Victims Assistance Grant Program. While she said she has filled out an application, she has yet to receive any funds.
For survivors in Uvalde, navigating the system to get assistance has proven to be confusing and extremely bureaucratic.
鈥淲e have a lot of people looking for financial help,鈥� said state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents Uvalde. 鈥淭heir children don't want them to go back to work. It鈥檚 just a mess. I mean, it's just a mess.鈥�
He's been helping families of the victims access resources and financial aid.
But there are many moving pieces. Gutierrez said many parents have not received help.
He placed part of the blame with Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell.
Earlier this month, Gutierrez penned a joint letter with Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin to Gov. Greg Abbott, asking for the removal of Mitchell as the overseer of the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center.
Gutierrez said Mitchell was given $5 million to provide help through the center.
But Mitchell told The Texas Newsroom that money is just for the center鈥檚 day-to-day operations, and 鈥渋s not to be distributed directly to any families, any victims or anything like that.鈥� Mitchell said, 鈥淭he grant actually prohibits it.鈥�
As of recently, the San Antonio-based Ecumenical Center has taken the helm of the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center.
鈥淲e all know that we're not equipped to run a resiliency center, to provide counseling,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e don't have experience with that.鈥�
Mitchell said her office has been helping people fill out the applications for reimbursements with the victims assistance program. The money can be used to cover lost wages, medical bills, utility bills, and more.
鈥淪ome people think that people who were not injured shouldn't get anything. Some people think that people who were not injured should get something, but only if they were in the fourth grade building. Some people think that even the kids who weren't there at the time and went home early should also get something."Jeff Dion, executive director of the National Compassion Fund
Once those applications are completed, Mitchell says reimbursements are up to the Texas Attorney General鈥檚 Office.
According to the Texas Attorney General鈥檚 Office, as of Wednesday, $31,158.93 have been distributed to 34 families of victims and those injured at the shooting.
Millions in donations
The other big pool of money is the Uvalde Together We Rise Fund. That fund is being overseen by the National Compassion Fund.
鈥淵ou had all these different pots of money, who were collecting donations, very well-intentioned, and now they are coming together and they are all going to combine for us to do a distribution plan,鈥� Jeff Dion, the organization鈥檚 executive director, told The Texas Newsroom.
Ultimately, the fund is expected to have about $14 million, said Dion, who also acknowledged the confusion around the money.
鈥淭his is the fourth fund I鈥檝e done in Texas, and Texas doesn鈥檛 have a plan in place for donation management in the aftermath of a mass casualty event,鈥� Dion said. The organization has overseen other similar funds in Texas after the 2019 shooting in El Paso and the 2018 school shooting in Santa Fe.
Dion added the guidelines surrounding distributing the money in Uvalde have yet to be written.
鈥淪ome people think that people who were not injured shouldn't get anything. Some people think that people who were not injured should get something, but only if they were in the fourth grade building. Some people think that even the kids who weren't there at the time and went home early should also get something,鈥� Dion said. 鈥淎nd so we're trying to get feedback from the community.鈥�
The National Compassion Fund will host a town hall in Uvalde on Aug. 11, and Dion says families should start receiving distributions in the next few months.
In the meantime, Jessica Trevi帽o, the mother of the 11-year-old Robb Elementary student, isn't waiting.
She said she, and many other parents, are in a constant battle day-to-day, just trying to stay afloat.
Trevi帽o says she hopes every Robb Elementary student will get some funding to help them process the trauma they experienced.
鈥淎ll of them were affected in one way or another,鈥� Trevi帽o said. 鈥淎ll of them.鈥�
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