More than $1.5 million of a Givealittle fund raised by Victim Support has already been spent supporting people directly affected by the Christchurch terror attack.
Victim Support CEO Kevin Tso told The AM Show the charity is supporting more than 500 people who were directly affected by the tragedy.
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Tso said the charity has been working with people who have been bereaved, suffered an injury or witnessed the attack to assess their needs.
"Some of them are pretty immediate, like food, paying for their rent and mortgages, paying for even driving lessons because the families have lost a loved one, the only driver.
"They've had to reassess and actually look at how they operate in the future."
More than 30 women were widowed after the attack and many of them need a lot of support from the community.
Christchurch Muslim Leadership Group member Nehaad Al-Waiz told The AM Show in March many of the families affected by the tragedy are struggling to manage.
"For some families who have lost their fathers, their brothers, husbands, they are still trying to struggle [through] their day to day life as you must have heard.
"Their licence was a problem, they [aren't] able to drive their vehicles and just dealing with that amount of families, which is quite a lot, it's tragic."
Victim Support has not just provided money, it has been working with the people affected to help them move through the trauma after the attack and work out their new normal.
"The money aspect is one part of what Victim Support does, our primary purpose is to actually provide practical and emotional support after crime or trauma," Tso said.
Newshub.
