COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The community is still grappling with the aftermath of the Club Q shooting and generous donations have been coming in for victims, their families and survivors from people all over the country.
Now, there are questions up in the air for those who were impacted. How, and when, will the money be distributed to help them?
Denver7 is helping those who were impacted get some of these answers.
"It's a lot to deal with," said Isaiah Aponte. Aponte was injured during the shooting last Saturday. His friend, Barrett Hudson, was shot several times and survived.
Aponte said it's been an overwhelming week navigating different emotions, all while trying to reach out for help.
"Funding assistance to try to get me back on my feet. There's so many people and things going on. It seems like a slow process," said Aponte.
Aponte was set to start a new job this month but it was delayed after he was hit by shrapnel during the shooting and was in the hospital for nearly a week.
Several organizations, including The Colorado Healing Fund, have been working to raise money for people who were impacted.
RELATED: Here’s how Colorado can help the victims of the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs
"We have raised through both donations and pledges around $1.8 million," said Jordan Finegan, the executive director for The Colorado Healing Fund.
She said of that money, they have distributed $245,000. She said $50,000 of that went out in less than 24 hours after the shooting happened, to support immediate needs.
Finegan said the Colorado Healing Fund has set up a place for survivors, at the Colorado Springs Expo Center, where they can connect with a victim's advocate. The expo is open Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also call the Victim Advocacy Unit Mainline at 719-444-7777.
"Once that’s started, they can begin to get access to resources and different support, which would be a mix of both donations through us, in order to help cover rent, food, fuel any sort of immediate needs and connected to other resources," said Finegan.
However, the fund and process isn't without its critics. Over the weekend, the group, "Victims First" called out the fund, with survivors of other mass shootings, demanding that 100% of the money raised go directly to victims, survivors, and their families.
Denver7 asked The Colorado Healing Fund about this criticism they've been facing.
"Any sort of donations that come in for this tragedy for Club Q, they will go out for Club Q, we are not funding other programs, this is this program, and I think that's important to know. The Colorado Healing Fund does have an admin fee," said Finegan. "It is on our website when you donate. We need to be able to sustain our organization."
"I think people are confused about the admin fee. We are not mismanaging funds around that. And we are making sure that we are doing our best in order to get the money out and the services out to the victims of this tragedy," she said.
She adds that the group is figuring out more ways to get the funds out to those who need it most as quickly and efficiently as possible.
"We're currently working on putting together an advisory council, advisory group that is made up of individuals in the LGBTQ+ space and folks who can help us, in sort of navigating continued disbursement of these funds. We want to make sure that we are as engaged with that community and as educated on how best to get funds out to them as possible as we move into the intermediate phases," she added.
Denver7 also spoke to representatives of GoFundMe, where Club Q fundraisers have already hit a combined million dollars.
Communications Manager Melanie Yost said once fundraiser organizers have verified their information, fund transfers can start right away.
"We have a dedicated crisis response team that reviews every single fundraiser related to the tragedy to make sure every donation gets to the right place safely and quickly," said Yost.
She added that their team makes sure there is a clear distribution plan in place before releasing any funds.
While Aponte keeps moving forward from last week's tragedy, he said he's thankful for those who are stepping up in time of need.
"It seems the community in Colorado is here for the people and trying to help," he said.
