Local officials have extended support services at the Allen Senior Recreation Center for those impacted by the recent shooting at the outlet mall in Allen.
The Family Assistance Center, which was organized by the FBI Dallas Field Office and Allen Police Department following the May 6 shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, will continue offering crisis assistance, mental health services, spiritual care, and other services until Friday at 7 p.m.
“It’s an opportunity for victims to walk in, and then they’ll get access to see kind of what services they need,” said Melinda Urbina, public affairs specialist at the FBI Dallas Field Office, speaking with NBC 5.
The Family Assistance Center, located at 451 St. Mary Dr. in Allen, has provided support services and assistance to more than 100 people and 30 families so far.
The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army of North Texas are also onsite to provide needed services and support.
“Our emergency mobile canteen, officers, and staff are onsite to provide spiritual and emotional care to all those in the community impacted by this unspeakable event. If you need help, we are here,” said Majors Paul and Dawn McFarland, area commanders of the Salvation Army of North Texas, per NBC 5.
Individuals who abandoned or left belongings behind in an open area during the commotion and panic can retrieve their personal effects at the center, according to Urbina.
Returning people’s personal belongings can relieve a lot of stress on their minds, especially after such a traumatic event. By returning their belongings, the center can inject a little bit of positivity back into their lives, Urbina explained to NBC 5.
“I think a lot of times there’s a misconception that if you’re a victim, you had to have been shot, maybe physically injured. And that’s not the case,” she said. “It’s not just being physically injured. A lot of times emotional stress is an injury that I think is sometimes not visible.”
Authorities opened the property up on Monday for a short period of time so that workers and customers could retrieve their vehicles that had been left in the parking lot.
Anyone who left belongings inside a store at the mall can coordinate with the store’s manager to arrange an in-shop pickup. All stores at the outlet mall are currently closed and will remain so indefinitely, as reported previously by The Dallas Express.
The services of the Family Assistance Centers will remain active Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks