Traverse Bay Resiliency Center Opens to Support Community After Walmart Stabbing

In the months since 11 people were stabbed at the Traverse City Walmart on July 26, 2025, local leaders and advocates have moved to establish the Traverse Bay Resiliency Center to help survivors, witnesses and first responders recover. The center is intended to provide both immediate navigation of services and sustained mental health supports for the broader Grand Traverse County community.

The center, led by director Nicole Kubon of the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center, is actively being stood up with staffing and outreach underway. Kubon wrote in a January 21 community message that the aim is collaborative design of services: “Our hope here at the Traverse Bay Resiliency Center is that those most directly impacted by this event will be able to shape what our services will be right now and for years to come.” Kubon also framed resiliency centers as a federal-backed model for post-incident support: “Resiliency Centers have actually been around for a long time... It's a federal program that's funded through the federal government to provide supports for communities following mass violence.”

Concrete steps include a posted Survivor Support Specialist position. The role will conduct initial assessments, gather pertinent information, map out individualized strategies, and help survivors find and access resources. Resumes for the position are being accepted at resiliencycenter@traversebaycac.org. Services are planned to be available in person and virtually, though a formal physical address and an official grand opening date for the center have not been provided.

Officials emphasize the initiative responds to needs across the community, including first responders. Traverse City Fire Department member Jacob Steichen, who co-founded the Northwest Michigan Peer Network in 2019, noted the occupational toll: “Eighty percent of firefighters and law enforcement, they go through traumatic experience at some point in their career,” and “Over a third suffer from depression and anxiety and other mental and behavioral health issues.” The new center aims to link those frontline responders to peer and clinical supports.

A Virtual Resiliency Center, launched in coordination with the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor’s Office and the National Mass Violence Center, already provides online resources covering victim and social services, social connection and empowerment, health and wellness, and grief management. The county also lists local supports: the Grand Traverse Mental Health Crisis & Access Center at 410 Brook Street offers 24-hour counseling, and a 24-hour crisis hotline is available at 833-295-0616. The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Crime Victim Compensation program can assist eligible victims and witnesses with counseling, lost wages, transportation and other expenses.

Law enforcement has continued the investigation under the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Michigan State Police. The City of Traverse City extended deepest sympathy to victims and thanked responding agencies and citizens who intervened.

For Grand Traverse County residents, the creation of the Traverse Bay Resiliency Center means a local point of contact to navigate trauma care and benefits, even as specifics on the center’s physical hours, funding sources and formal opening remain to be confirmed. A public victim forum and tools to subscribe for court case notifications have been announced as next steps; for immediate help, call the crisis hotline or contact the Mental Health Crisis & Access Center at 410 Brook Street.