Gwinnett County DA’s Office to resume virtual support group for Georgia survivors of homicide victims

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Program will offer a virtual Survivors of Homicide Victims Support Group for people who have lost a loved one to a homicide or vehicular homicide.

“The sudden or unexpected loss of a loved one can have a tremendous effect on those who knew the victim,” said victim advocate and group co-facilitator Heather Brooks. “The goal of the group is to offer a safe and supportive environment for survivors to meet others who have experienced a similar loss while on their healing journey.”

First launched in April 2020, the program halted in-person activity for the remainder of 2020 due to the COVID-19.

“We wanted to continue to provide a space for our group members to share their stories and learn healthy ways to cope with their grief,” said Brooks.

The virtual group is available for survivors of homicide from across the state, not just Gwinnett County. A notification was released through the Prosecuting Attorney’s Councils (PAC) newsletter recently to alert the surrounding District Attorney’s and Solicitor General’s Victim Witness Advocates that the support group is accepting referrals.

“Our hope is to serve as many survivors as we can through the new virtual platform,” said victim advocate and group co-facilitator Pauline Anderson.

The virtual group resumed via Zoom on Tuesday, March 16. The meetings will be held every other Tuesday through June  at 7 p.m.

“We hope to be able to offer an in-person group in fall 2021 as we have in the past, but due to the pandemic, we are making the safety of our group members a priority,” said Brooks.

Those who may be interested in attending the support group should send an email to DASupportGroup@GwinnettCounty.com. For questions, contact victim advocate Heather Brooks at 770-822-8396.