On Monday, Seattle police arrested a suspect in a shooting that occurred Friday night at Northeast 42nd Street and the Ave.

The university community was rattled when the shooting caused several buildings and residence halls to be locked down, but UW students and staff were not the only ones affected — the shooting sent ripples through the community.

“This incident was very close to us in a lot of ways,” said Kristine Cunningham, program director for ROOTS Young Adult Shelter.

ROOTS is an emergency shelter for young adults between the ages of 18 to 25. The shelter, located in an alley at 1415 N.E. 43rd St., has felt a heightened sense of fear and worry since the incident, which took place just down the street.

The building where ROOTS is located was at one time situated next to a parking lot, providing a more open feeling to the area. Cunningham said the construction of Russell Hall at the corner of Northeast 42nd Street and 15 Avenue Northeast, which began last year, has decreased the light in the area at night.

“Guests wait in the alley to get into the shelter,” Cunningham said. “It is hard for folks to have egress; there is no place for them to go.”

The alley is essentially transformed into a long, dark tunnel when the sun sets.

“I think that alley is a big problem,” Cunningham said. “Even before [the shooting] happened, it would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.”

ROOTS is not the only facility in the U-District that has felt an impact from the shooting.

“Our kiosk stays open until 7:30 p.m.,” said an office assistant at a local church, who asked to remain anonymous because of safety concerns. Her desk faces the street, and she is the first one in charge when people wander in. “There are not a lot of people we can turn to to ask for help when need be.”

“Part of our job is security guards,” said the other woman working, who also wished to remain unnamed for the same reason.

She said she witnessed her boss being beat up by a visitor when the person was asked to vacate the church. The women have had to call 911 on numerous occasions to have people removed from the church.

In light of the recent shooting and residents’ increasing concern for their safety, Sgt. Sean Whitcomb of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) media unit said that the SPD is “trying to make [information] more accessible to the community.”

“We are trying to get as much stuff to those who are interested,” he said. “It is an information push.”

These informational sites include the SPD crime blotter, spdblotter.seattle.gov, a Web site dedicated to reporting neighborhood crimes in a timely fashion to increase the safety of residents. The SPD also plans to launch a Twitter account to warn residents about crimes in their area.

Reach reporter Karleen Scharer at news@dailyuw.com.