California Bill Aims to Address Mental Health Crisis Among Young Gun Violence Survivors
When Marvin Pérez was shot while walking home in Oakland, California, at age 23, the physical recovery was arduous. The bullet remains lodged in his leg, and he spent three months in physical therapy, unable to play soccer. But the mental toll was far greater: he experienced constant intrusive thoughts and nightmares, and felt he had no one to confide in. "The emotional and psychological problems I faced were so big, I couldn't handle it on my own," Pérez said in Spanish.
Pérez eventually received counseling from Youth Alive, an Oakland-based gun violence intervention nonprofit, which he credits as a turning point. Now, Youth Alive is a sponsor of the Trauma Healing and Resilience Investment for Victimized and Exposed Youth Act, or Thrive Act, a California bill that would establish a pilot program providing mental health services to gun violence survivors and witnesses under 25, regardless of immigration status.
Critical Gap in Care for Young Survivors
The bill addresses a stark disparity: approximately three in five children nationally do not receive mental health services after a firearm injury, according to research. Many young survivors never seek help due to stigma and distrust of mental health providers. "So many youth go through these traumatic things and are expected to try to navigate a complicated bureaucracy, stacks of paperwork in order to get seen," said Gabriel Garcia, Youth Alive's policy and advocacy director.
The Thrive Act was partly inspired by last year's mass shooting at a child's birthday party in Stockton, California, where three children aged 8, 9, and 14, and a 21-year-old were killed, and 11 others injured. In response, Californians for Safety and Justice brought the idea of long-term mental healthcare access to Assemblymember Sade Elhawary, a Democrat whose district includes parts of south Los Angeles heavily affected by gun violence.
Breaking the Cycle of Violence
"We're ensuring that we're not continuing the cycle of violence because oftentimes folks see that their mode of coping is retaliation," said Elhawary, who coauthored the bill with Democratic Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Mialisa Bonta, and Maggy Krell. The bill proposes state grants to pilot mental health programs in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Solano, and Alameda counties, all with high rates of gun deaths.
Firearm violence remains the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, with about 5,000 children injured or killed by firearms each year, according to the University of Texas Medical Branch. Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, an associate professor at the Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis, noted that even survivors of gun violence can face years of disruption from post-traumatic stress, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, substance abuse, and emotional dysregulation, often compounded by environmental factors like family stress, poverty, and housing instability.
Barriers to Care for Disproportionately Affected Communities
Black and Latino communities, which are disproportionately affected by gun violence in California and nationally, face additional barriers to mental healthcare, including fewer financial resources, stigma, and a shortage of providers. Garcia said the bill would start to eliminate these barriers. "Transformation, I think, is something that seems to only be possible when somebody has the support they need that's really addressing the trauma," he said.
Funding and Legislative Challenges
The bill recently passed the assembly floor and is under review by the Senate health and judiciary committee. Elhawary said the biggest challenge is securing the millions of dollars needed for the pilot program. "They [assemblymembers] are supportive of the bill. It's just how we get to the point where it then becomes a priority in terms of what we invest in, in terms of the budget," she said. Garcia added that another challenge is getting lawmakers to invest in low-income communities affected by gun violence daily, rather than only focusing on mass shootings in communities where gun violence is not normalized.
Pérez, now 25, sees the difference counseling has made. He feels more comfortable playing soccer outside again, though he remains vigilant. He supports any legislation that expands mental health services. "God has a plan for us, and that's why we [survivors] have been given another opportunity," Pérez said. "Don't quiet yourself, tell your problems to someone else so you can receive the help you need."
