COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A group of survivors of the shooting at Club Q say they have struggled to receive money from the Colorado Healing Fund.
The group gathered on the steps of City Hall in Colorado Springs Tuesday to call out the organization.
Survivors said they have received money, but the process is tiring and arduous. They said they are asked to submit receipts for anything they receive donations for.
"I can’t cope because there is always another battle. This is sad and pathetic on the Healing Fund’s end, that as one of the victims that I can’t deal with my emotions," said Ashtin Gamblin, who was an employee at Club Q when the shooting happened.
Gamblin has been debating about whether or not to go back to work.
"This isn’t something I wanted, anticipated or asked for. We didn’t ask for any of this, and we just want to be safe and OK and be able to move on," Gamblin said. "I shouldn’t be debating on if I could go back to work when I’m not ready just to be able to survive. None of us should. I am tired."
Jerecho Loveall was shot at the club as well. Loveall decided to return to work in February, but soon realized he returned far too quickly.
"Unfortunately, I lost my job due to this because I did try to go to work in February. Unfortunately, I got overwhelmed too easily, and I had a mental break," Loveall said. "I was unable to keep working, and I took too long in my work’s opinion to go back. So they let me go."
Loveall hasn't received a paycheck in three months as a result.
"To this day, I don’t have but scraps of food in my house to try to feed my family," Loveall said. "I am months behind on certain things, but I have to be able to feed my kids."
Loveall said money from the Colorado Healing Fund would make it easier to survive, but instead, survivors claim they are withholding the money.
"A victim’s job is to heal. It is not to beg for money. It is to have the money that was rightfully donated," said Wyatt Kent, who also goes by the stage name Potted Plant.
Kent lost their fiancé, Daniel Aston, at the club. Aston was working as a bartender at the time of the shooting.
"The Colorado Healing Fund is denying us healing funds," Kent said.
The Colorado Healing Fund said they have been forthright and clear with donors about how the funds will be used.
"The long-term component is very important because we are still five months away from the one-year anniversary of the tragedy and experts tell us to expect additional trauma to surface then," Executive Director Jordan Finegan said in an email.
So far, the fund has received $3.2 million and distributed $2.09 million of that. The most recent cash distribution was $1.3 million in February.
They said the additional funds will be distributed based on a model recommended by trauma experts "because it is common for victims to demonstrate additional impact in the months and years following an incident."
They said the model was created by more than 20 of Colorado's leading experts in the area of incident response. They also added they have distributed the funds based on recommendations by a committee led by LGBTQ+ advocates.
The organization said 99% of all requests for immediate support have been met and approved.
While victims said the money has not gone directly to them, the fund said 100% of the money received from donors will go directly to victims. They said they will not keep any funds for administrative expenses or profit.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Colorado Springs Club Q shooting