Survivor Support
What We Do
Survivor Support at Alive provides relational, long-term support for individuals and families impacted by homicide and violence. Homicide loss brings unique challenges — trauma, unanswered questions, complicated grief, and overwhelming emotions that often persist long after public attention fades.
Our Survivor Support includes:
• Monthly grief support gatherings for those impacted by homicide
• One-on-one relational support with a trained grief educator
• Education on traumatic loss, resilience, and healthy coping
• Connection to trusted community resources, including counseling and legal support
• Specialized support for young survivors
• Grief and resilience trainings for the broader community
Survivor Support is directed by Cynthia Gardner, herself a survivor of violence. Many of our founders and staff carry lived experience of loss. This work is relational, steady, and led by those who understand.
One Victim, Many Survivors
With each homicide, many lives are forever changed. Family members and friends are not only grieving a loss — they are living with the lasting impact of violence in ways that reshape identity, relationships, and daily life. As Deborah Spungen observes in Homicide: The Hidden Victims, loved ones of those killed by violence assume new and permanent identities shaped by grief.
We use the term survivor to honor this reality. Across our city, parents, children, siblings, spouses, and friends carry the long-term weight of violence. Survivor Support exists because their lives matter — not only in the immediate aftermath, but in the years that follow.
Transforming Pain Into Purpose
For many survivors, healing and purpose become intertwined. As they are supported in their grief, some choose to step into leadership — mentoring young people in our school-based programs, shaping grief and resilience trainings, and strengthening our broader peacemaking efforts.
Those who have lived through violence often carry a clarity and moral authority that cannot be manufactured. When survivors speak, mentor, and lead, their voices can become some of the most powerful witnesses against the very violence that harmed them.
Pain does not disappear. But it can be transformed. When lived experience is met with community, formation, and support, loss can become a force for prevention — helping move our city from reaction toward Beloved Community.
Need Support? We’re Here For You.
If you or someone you love has been impacted by violence, we invite you to reach out. All inquiries are confidential, and a member of our Survivor Support team will follow up personally.
