Reflecting on NVFS' experience supporting long-term recovery after September 11 and what that work has taught us about community healing
By Stephanie Berkowitz, NVFS President & Chief Executive Officer
In the days and weeks following September 11, communities across the country mobilized to respond to the immense needs of individuals and families impacted. Even in those early days, one thing was becoming clear: recovery would take years, not months.
Five days after the attacks, a coalition of about two dozen philanthropists and political, business and civic leaders established the Survivors' Fund. The $25 million fund was entrusted to the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (now Greater Washington Community Foundation), which drew on a recovery model developed after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
NVFS was selected to design and carry out the Fund’s individualized case management approach and, through the Survivors’ Fund Project, became part of the region’s long-term recovery response. Our role was to work alongside individuals and families as they rebuilt their lives and connect them with support as their circumstances and needs changed.
Over the course of nearly seven years, the Survivors’ Fund Project showed us just how long recovery can take. As circumstances changed and new needs emerged, individuals and families needed different forms of support and the flexibility to move forward on their own terms. The work reinforced something that remains relevant for us today: responding to the immediate crisis is only one part of recovery.
Recovery Changes Over Time
The effects of trauma do not follow a predictable timeline.
In the immediate aftermath of a crisis, the most pressing needs are often clear. Yet over time, circumstances can change. Physical and mental health needs can persist or emerge later, as employment and financial circumstances can also shift.
Today, we also understand more about how the effects of trauma can extend across many areas of a person's life.
Through our work on the Survivors’ Fund Project, we saw firsthand that people respond to trauma differently. What someone needs today may not be what they need six months or several years from now.
Supporting the Whole Person and Family
Another lesson from the Survivors’ Fund Project was the importance of looking beyond the need that first brings someone to us, because trauma can affect many parts of a person's life at once.
For many 9/11 survivors, the effects of the attacks continued to ripple through their lives for years. Exposure to toxic dust and chronic health conditions affected their ability to work, creating new financial pressures. Traumatic injuries led to ongoing mental health challenges and affected relationships with family and friends.
For NVFS, long-term recovery work meant understanding those connections. That same understanding shapes our work today. We consider the full range of needs affecting an individual or family and connect people with support across our programs and services. We offer multiple ways to access that support, across a range of settings, so people can choose the approach that best fits their needs, preferences, and circumstances.
For example, a family that comes to NVFS seeking food assistance may also be facing housing instability, difficulty accessing healthcare, or challenges finding stable employment. Addressing one need can provide immediate relief; creating greater stability often requires understanding how those needs intersect.
What Community Healing Requires
For NVFS, trauma-informed practice does not depend on knowing someone’s trauma history. It means recognizing that trauma may be present in anyone we serve and creating conditions that support safety, trust, and dignity in every interaction.
For us as an organization, that means recognizing that:
- Needs change. The support someone needs immediately may be very different from what becomes important months or years later.
- Safety and trust matter. Creating physical and psychological safety and communicating openly can help build trust.
- Agency matters. People should have an active role in setting goals and making decisions.
- Culture and lived experience matter. We emphasize cultural humility and recognize that cultural, historical and gender-related experiences can shape how someone experiences trauma and how they respond to services.
- Healing takes time. There is no universal timeline for recovering from trauma or crisis.
Carrying the Lessons Forward
Twenty-five years later, NVFS' philosophy of supporting the whole person remains central to our work, and we continue to embed these trauma-informed practices across the organization – not only within individual programs and projects.
The Survivors’ Fund Project represents a crucial chapter in NVFS' history. Remembering it 25 years later is about more than recounting what happened. It is an opportunity to consider what that experience still teaches us about community healing.
"For NVFS, trauma-informed practice does not depend on knowing someone’s trauma history. It means recognizing that trauma may be present in anyone we serve and creating conditions that support safety, trust, and dignity in every interaction."