Many of the organizations in our local homeless services system embrace Trauma-Informed Care practices. And make it central to how they work with people in shelter, housing, and service programs. These practices recognize that people experiencing homelessness likely have trauma in their pasts. And that experiencing homelessness is traumatic.
What is Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma-Informed Care is an approach that recognizes the lasting impacts of trauma. The focus is on creating an environment that promotes healing. As well as promoting trust between program participants and case managers. And it is about creating policies and practices that can also promote healing. In practice this looks like focusing on program participants’ strengths instead of deficiencies. And taking down the many “Do Not . . .” signs that are often up in shelter facilities. Instead shelters may have very few signs up or put up ones that are inspirational or positive.
Trauma-Informed Care also focuses on the health and well-being of the case managers and other staff members who work with people experiencing homelessness. They can experience secondary trauma as part of their everyday work. But organizations can do things that minimize the effects of secondary trauma on staff members. Organizations can offer regular debriefing sessions, as well as promote self-care practices. And they can foster a supportive organizational culture that values the well-being of its staff.
What It Looks Like Locally
The local family homelessness service organizations lead the way on Trauma-Informed Care. In 2016 they made a commitment to it through the Solutions for Family Homelessness plan. Over the past 8 years, those organizations have trained more than 200 staff members. And they still regularly offer trainings as well as space to heal from secondary trauma. In addition, dozens of staff members completed more training to become trainers. Meaning that new staff members can complete training in a cost-effective way.
Besides the training, these partners are applying trauma-informed care strategies organization-wide. They make shelter spaces trauma-sensitive and shelter forms align trauma-informed principles. And there is awareness of, and attention paid to staff secondary trauma and its effects.
What to Learn More?
Here’s an article from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation
And an article from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness: Trauma-Informed Care: Building on our Commitment to Strengths-Based Approaches to Ending Homelessness
