It’s National Suicide Prevention Month, as good a time as could be for shopping center owners to join 11 of their peers in the Signs of Hope initiative.

The idea is simple: Shopping center parking lots are highly visible, well-trafficked places and thus a good fit to raise awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Thus, property owners are putting up signs in their parking lots near high-traffic grocers, garage entrances and exits, and outer areas where those who plan to harm themselves might park.

The signs might reach someone in need in the moment or plant the 988 number in the mind of someone who may be in crisis in the future. The lifeline is available 24/7 via phone, text or chat. The number 988 is federally designated, similar to 911. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the lifeline launched in July 2022, providing free and confidential emotional support via a network of 215 crisis centers.

Seven property owners — Brixmor, Kimco Realty, Kite, Peterson Cos., Regency Centers, Sterling Organization and Urban Edge Properties — launched their Signs of Hope initiative on Oct. 10, 2023, World Mental Health Day. Continental Realty Corp., ShopCore Properties, ShopOne Centers and Phillips Edison & Co. have joined since. The 1,600 centers reach more than 272 million people visiting the properties over 4.6 billion times annually, according to Brixmor senior vice president of marketing Kristen Moore.

“Mental health is such an important topic that affects one in five people in the U.S., and our centers serve millions of people daily because they are located where people live, work and play,” she said. “It is another way we can serve our consumers in such an impactful manner.”

What Does Participation Mean?

Those interested in participating can email signsofhope@brixmor.com to receive a self-service implementation kit that’s easy and flexible. The kit provides a brand-neutral art file for a 12-inch by 18-inch sign. The kit provides a vendor that will make signs for $23 each, but it also provides specifications that property owners can pass along to the sign makers they choose. The kit also recommends reflective coating for greater visibility, provides a vendor for mounting hardware that totals $34.10 per sign and advises how high to hang the signs.

Moore said that twice a year, participants jointly post on social media about the lifeline and tag each other, though such social media efforts are optional.

Participation costs property owners nothing, she said, as installations can fall under tenant-funded common area maintenance budgets as property operational expenses.