Chicago opens emergency assistance center on South Side at Trinity United Church for gun violence victims

An emergency assistance center is opening on Chicago's South Side just blocks from where 14 people were hurt in a mass shooting Friday night.

Violence like that and other incidents are top of mind for the city as the focus in the areas affected turns from the crime itself to the people who survived it. Over the holiday weekend eight people were killed and dozens more injured in shootings across the city.

The emergency assistance center at Trinity United Church will offer mental health support, community services, help applying for crime victim compensation and the opportunity to speak with CPD detectives. It is being overseen by the city's Office of Victim Services and will open Wednesday.

While those efforts are aimed at helping families now, faith leaders and community groups are pushing for what they call a more permanent approach to reducing gun violence.

A proposed ordinance would create a Department of Gun Violence Prevention for Chicago, bringing together existing violence reduction programs under one umbrella with more than $100 million allocated in the city's budget.

"The mayor is very, very focused on these efforts, on creative efforts to be able to address this, and I believe in a very short time you're going to hear from the mayor regarding this," said Deput Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre.

Supporters hope to pass the ordinance by October, though some alders have already raised questions about funding.

In the meantime, Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to arrests in the weekend shootings.