Consultations for building projects

The staff of Design Resources for Homelessness often serve as project consultants, providing trauma-informed guidance to specific shelters, supportive housing, or other projects. We work alongside a project’s architect and/or interior designer to lend mental and behavioral health insights that can be enacted through built space. These strategies are intended to enhance the experience of the project’s building for clients, volunteers, staff, and the public.

We advocate for the application of trauma-informed care and trauma-informed design principles within built spaces. Doing so can make spaces secure for clients, their families, and their possessions, staff, and volunteers, in ways that

• support the organization’s processes and therapies

• provide space-based environmental psychological cues that support the project’s             desire for clients to make progress

• convey a sense of dignity and respect in the space to support exiting homelessness

• support an atmosphere of calm and optimism

• support intuitive wayfinding

• reduce effort of staff to assist clients

• assist with community and peer support

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Contact us at designforhomelessness@gmail.com