Trauma is a set of normal human responses to stressful and threatening experiences (National Center for PTSD, 2007). Low-income and public housing residents may experience cumulative trauma resulting from daily stressors of violence and concentrated poverty, as well as historic and structural conditions of racism and disenfranchisement (Collins, et al., 2010).
This paper presents a model of Trauma Informed Community Building (TICB) that addresses the challenges trauma poses to traditional community building strategies. TICB strategies de-escalate chaos and stress, build social cohesion and foster community resiliency over time. The TICB model effectively takes into account the real-life experiences of low-income and public housing residents. Its application ensures that community building promotes community healing as part of housing transformation efforts.
Links to Resource:
- Read the full paper Trauma Informed Community Building: A Model for Strengthening Communities in Trauma Affected Neighborhoods (pdf)
- View the BRIDGE Housing website, which the TICB model is based on
- Visit the HOPE SF website, to learn about the initiative that is a public-private partnership to rebuild some of the most distressed public housing in San Francisco.
Date: 2017