While unhoused people are often traumatized, a 2010 study on trauma-informed care found homeless services have historically provided care without directly acknowledging or addressing the impact of trauma. The number of chronically homeless people nationwide jumped by 16% between 20, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Interest in trauma-informed design for shelters stems from greater public discussion about mental health and the increased incidence and visibility of homelessness. There are personal lockers and privacy walls between bunks. Its design emphasizes openness and calm hallways are wide, there are many windows, and its few walls are painted sage and lavender. The Mental Health Center of Denver’s Sanderson Apartments, which opened in 2017, is considered an early example of the approach.

“An increase in research has articulated how design affects us … Designers know now how we can make a difference.” “We are just out of the starting gate,” said Kay Sargent, the Washington DC-based director of the Workplace Group at HOK, a global architecture firm that has created a landmark guidebook on trauma-informed design. Aware of just how much the physical environment can shape people’s lives, more architects are starting to rethink how they design homeless shelters and spaces such as prisons and foster care centers. Severe stress can literally change the brain, affecting memory, coping skills and abilities to regulate emotions. This emerging approach is part of a movement that recognizes that traumatized people need specialized support. It’s also the first and only overnight shelter of its kind in Oregon. “When families come here, they say this place makes me feel like you care about me.”įamily Village is one of a new kind of homeless shelter now emerging in the US, those that use trauma-informed design. “In these other spaces, it was constant chaos,” said Tuck. Opened in 2019, Family Village replaced three other shelters, one in a retrofitted warehouse and two in church basements.

Residents of shelters for the unhoused often want more access to outdoor spaces like this garden at the Path Home Family Village in Portland, Oregon.

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