Every young person who experiences gun violence deserves the opportunity to heal, recover and build a future free from violence. Yet for too many young survivors in California, accessing the mental health care they need remains difficult, expensive and out of reach.
That’s why we at Californians for Safety and Justice are deeply disappointed by the veto of the Trauma, Healing and Resilience Investment for Victimized or Exposed Youth (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Act, authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary and co-sponsored by Californians for Safety and Justice and Youth ALIVE!, despite the bill passing both houses of the California Legislature.
The T.H.R.I.V.E. Act represented a critical opportunity for California to invest in the health, healing and futures of young people impacted by gun violence. It would have established a first-of-its-kind public health approach to supporting young survivors by removing financial and administrative barriers to mental health care.
Conceived by Crime Survivors Speak, the legislation would have directed the California Department of Health Care Services to fund a pilot program in Los Angeles County providing free mental health services to young people under 25 who have been shot, shot at, witnessed a shooting or lost — or nearly lost — a loved one to gun violence.
Rather than forcing young survivors and their families to navigate complicated systems, find therapists on their own or wait months for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, the program would have connected them to mental health care when they needed it most.
Each year, approximately 2,000 young people are injured or killed in shootings in California, and many more witness gun violence. Yet national data show that fewer than one in three young survivors of gun violence receive mental health services within six months. The impact is especially devastating for Black boys and young men who experience gun violence at roughly 20 times the rate of their white peers.
Throughout California, young people are navigating grief and trauma while trying to continue with school, show up for their families and plan for their futures. No young person should have to carry the emotional and financial burden of finding care on their own, especially in the immediate aftermath of violence.
When we fail to invest in healing, the consequences extend beyond individual survivors. Unaddressed trauma can affect families and entire communities, contributing to cycles of harm that make it harder for everyone to feel safe and thrive. As a public health issue, gun violence demands a public health response — one that recognizes healing and recovery as essential components of building safer communities.
Throughout this campaign, young survivors reminded us why this legislation mattered. From Jessie Milo’s story on losing family members to gun violence and living with untreated trauma as a young person to Jazzy Eastman’s retelling of her experience as a gun violence survivor, we heard firsthand how access to mental health care can be a life-changing intervention.
“All youth survivors of violence deserve easy access to the resources they need to heal. As an organization that serves gun violence survivors everyday in Oakland, it is impossible to overstate the far-reaching intergenerational trauma associated with gun violence. Removing barriers to mental health services should be a top priority for addressing the impact of gun violence on the youngest members of our community,” said Dr. Joseph Griffin, executive director of Youth ALIVE!. “It is especially critical that those services are free, trauma-informed, and tailored to the specific needs of children and teens. Even as rates of gun violence fall, we must act with urgency to support the young survivors and witnesses of violence who are left in its wake.”
Our Fight for Healing Continues
While we are disappointed that the T.H.R.I.V.E. Act did not become law this year, we remain committed to the vision behind it.
The bill’s passage through both houses of the Legislature demonstrated meaningful support for a different approach to addressing the impacts of gun violence — one that centers survivors, prioritizes healing and recognizes that investments in mental health are crucial to community safety.
This campaign also helped elevate the voices and experiences of young survivors who have too often been left out of conversations about public safety. Their leadership and advocacy made clear what is possible when we listen to those most directly impacted by violence.
We will build on this momentum by continuing to work alongside Crime Survivors Speak, Youth ALIVE!, legislative champions and community partners to advance policies that remove barriers to trauma recovery services. That means exploring opportunities to reintroduce legislation, secure dedicated funding for survivor-centered mental health care and expand access to free, culturally responsive, trauma-informed services for young people across California.
The bill’s veto was a setback, but it does not change what young survivors need or what they deserve. Young people should not have to wait for another tragedy, another legislative session or another opportunity to receive the care they need to heal.