EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – As a week of tributes and remembrances end on the campus of Michigan State University, a place of refuge will be opening its doors to those needing an extra head one year after the deadly campus shootings.

“Even though we don’t have all of our furniture and staff, we want people to get help if they need it,” said Jamie Ayers, the victim services director at Common Ground.

This week, Ayers and her staff have been putting together chairs and tables. It’s all part of the work behind the United Resiliency Center taking shape just a short walk from MSU. It is the second center of its type. She said the location will serve as an anchor of support to others, no matter where they are on their path of recovery.

“Our job is to do is to make sure that we talk about that, that we normalize that. These are all normal behaviors to an abnormal situation, and everybody is different,” she said.

Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice,  the group will be offering mental health services inside the center.

Ayers said her team has already been offering virtual therapy sessions. Soon that help will expand to include group and individual therapy, arts and crafts as well as dog therapy with Wyleigh.

Wyleigh is here to be snuggled with and just having a safe space here,” said Ayers.

The two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever has already been hitting the ground running, comforting students around East Lansing this week.

Wyleigh and the staff at Common Ground have a history of supporting a community hurting in the aftermath of gun violence with the reaction of a center in Oxford.

Ayers said her team is working to create another welcoming environment. This one will be stocked with snacks, coffee and teas. She said it’s part of the plan to support a community that might still be processing trauma.

“It’s important to be that constant in the community so they know if they are needing any sort of support, that they can come into the center and we’ll be here as long as possible,” Ayers said.

United Resiliency will be open from Tuesdays to Fridays. While the grant money will last from three to five years, Ayers said the center could still run with the support of private donations and other grants.

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