Advocates call for more long-term support, months after Vaughan condo shooting

It's been more than four months since a shooter rampaged his condo building, and Jack Rozdilsky is still having a difficult time recovering from what happened.

On Dec. 18, a resident of Bellaria Residences in Vaughan, Ont., carried out a mass shooting that left five people dead, one person injured, and hundreds of others irrevocably changed. The shooter, a 73-year-old man who lived in one of the condominium towers, was shot dead by police.

Rozdilsky, a resident, was there that night. "I saw some things that I cannot unsee," he said.

He says while he's done the best with what resources he could find and were given to victims in the hours, days and even weeks following the shooting, it hasn't been enough.

"Victim Services was not in a situation where they were able to return, to keep providing services on a consistent basis," said Rozdilsky, who's also a professor of disaster and emergency management at York University.

"I'm hoping at least for this situation it's not too little too late, because the initial circumstance of underestimating what was needed to support the community in the aftermath of a mass shooting can potentially lead to other, longer term mental health problems."

Advocates like Rozdilsky say coordinated, long-term and stable support needs to be given to victims of traumatic events like the Vaughan condo mass shooting. But while workers in the space may be keen to provide it, they're limited by a lack of resources and funding.

"Our resources to respond to such major incidents is insufficient," reads a statement from non-profit Victim Services of York Region. It adds they were asked to "stand down" on providing resources while the Special investigations Unit probed the shooting.

"We have not seen an increase in funding despite an increase in demand for service and increase in cost of living for several years now. As our region grows so too does the demand for services."

The organization says it's particularly underfunded compared to its counterparts in Peel, Durham and Toronto.

The City of Vaughan says it's committed to helping contribute to the long-term recovery from "the unspeakable tragedy" at Bellaria Residences.

In a statement to CBC News the city outlined some of the actions it has taken to support residents in the aftermath of the tragedy.

These include a candlelight vigil at city hall, submission a joint members' resolution for a memorial to the victims to be created, two meetings for residents of the condo building, and a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoing calls by Canada's premiers and territorial leaders and Ontario's big city mayors to modernize bail reform so dangerous offenders are kept off the streets.

CBC Toronto has also reached out to York Region and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for comment.