How trauma informed design could transform homeless shelters | Brandi Tuck | TEDxMtHood

Brandi Tuck is the founding Executive Director of Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS), whose mission is to empower homeless families with children to get back into housing and stay there. Since 2007, Brandi has led PHFS' efforts to expand and improve their services in the community - increasing from a $78,000 budget and serving 125 kids and parents in 2007 to an over $3mil budget and helping over 1,100 kids and parents end their homelessness in 2019. Under Brandi's leadership, PHFS has been recognized by the Oregon Business Journal as one of Oregon's Top 100 Nonprofits to Work For every year since 2011. With over 15 years working with people experiencing homelessness, Brandi has become passionate about trauma informed care - the idea that we can help people better if we understand what's going on in the brain when someone experiences something as stressful as homelessness. PHFS is proud to open the first shelter in Oregon designed using trauma informed design and architecture. Brandi Tuck is the founding Executive Director of Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS), whose mission is to empower homeless families with children to get back into housing and stay there. Since 2007, Brandi has led PHFS' efforts to expand and improve their services in the community - increasing from a $78,000 budget and serving 125 kids and parents in 2007 to an over $3mil budget and helping over 1,100 kids and parents end their homelessness in 2019. Under Brandi's leadership, PHFS has been recognized by the Oregon Business Journal as one of Oregon's Top 100 Nonprofits to Work For every year since 2011.
With over 15 years working with people experiencing homelessness, Brandi has become passionate about trauma informed care - the idea that we can help people better if we understand what's going on in the brain when someone experiences something as stressful as homelessness. PHFS is proud to open the first shelter in Oregon designed using trauma informed design and architecture. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@nicholashershey64]

Those of us working in the field need to hear this because mental health trauma is the number one barrier we experience with our clients.

[@Kimberly_11]

Every shelter I've had to be in, I've ALWAYS been bullies by the employees/ case managers 😢

[@frozengolden00]

This is one good TINY step forward. There are also SO many barriers that show it just doesn’t work for a lot of people. I’m thinking about people with addiction disorders, pre existing severe mental illnesses, childhood adverse experiences that were never addressed and now that person (for example) is 65 years old, almost entirely dependent on others and a colourful room isn’t really going to change that. I do believe in housing first and I have hope but this video doesn’t seem to show all of the extreme boundaries of why these ideas don’t work.

[@wanderlusttv4382]

Proud to work in a trauma informed homeless shelter.

[@ShazWag]

May I ask what sort of things you do at the shelter to help people deal with their trauma?

[@averykepaa4057]

I love this! Working an evaluator of the homeless service system in Hawaii and share this clip regularly - more trauma informed design for vulnerable people is needed and wanted. Let's do it!

[@ompaloompa4970]

When you live in a shelter it is a very controlled environment, and there is stress and drama created by others in the shelter. Others steal your things, you have no comfort or privacy. Others will decide they don't like you for whatever reason, creating drama to intentionally get you kicked out of the shelter. So, you have to live with harassment till you get on your feet to get out of there. All the while you are working at a job, trying to stay out of everyone's way you are being picked at and bullied, trying not to punch someone in the face which is why you are being intentionally provoked. That's what the bully's want you to do. Prayers for all homeless people who are working and committed to a better life.✝️🙏

[@jdavisharte]

YES!! I love this so much. Brandi, you did an exemplary job of explaining and describing the benefits of using trauma informed design. BRAVO!

[@flowersafeheart]

Thank you. I lived in a car years ago there in Portland and was too scared to ever stay at a shelter because of what I heard about them. I was so fortunate to have a car but it was very stressful. I appreciate this video!! And the many organizations that work to help the homeless, hungry, or otherwise under-resourced in many ways. And food stamps and free healthcare. All of it matters a huge deal and can ease at least some of the stress and save lives.

[@kendrawilhoite5832]

Beautiful!!!

[@MorbidlyObeseChell]

I was recently in a homeless shelter and to be honest i understand why the homeless would rather be on the streets, the staff were often very abusive, the guards could single you out for no reason, you had to get rid of a lot of personal items, mental health access is dam near impossible, they make you clean up sfter smokers, if you get attacked the staff are normally on your attacker's side, you have long lines in 120 degree weather for food that most people wouldn't touch.

[@philipschaefer8556]

I'm very interested in learning more on this topic, can you share some of your source materials or references? Thanks.

[@brianrocheleau9512]

I work in a homeless shelter as a Case Manager. Having a shelter like the one presented in this requires the kind of rules/policy she speaks out against.

[@brrrrrrrrit2663]

I do too and I completely agree with you.

[@contecrayononpaper]

I live in a shelter for homeless. Housing First seems a better option --- but it's not available to me.

[@ShazWag]

Lovely idea, but homeless shelters (at least in the UK) are run by charities that don't have the sort of budget to do this. I really think that governments should be doing a lot more to deal with homelessness instead of putting the responsibility mainly on charities, and that some money from the revenues of multinational companies should also go towards reducing this problem. Even a 1% of this would be a huge amount. There are also many unclaimed empty properties, as well as unclaimed land, that could offer temporary shelter to people so that they can be helped to get back on their feet. I think once you're on the streets, it's very difficult to establish yourself.

[@TiarraMello]

This was great!

[@khkhkhhkhkhk4238]

Nice pretty colors aren't what people live permanently with, however great information ! I would just go straight housing 1st, and sleep in a shelter until housing, but even those with paychecks aren't able to get projects, or rooms. Rooming homes need more attention. Rooms. Then the 2 year wait- Then you check those options, if more than 1- Make the best of where your choice is going to be...long term. Live for yourself if you are able. If not, help someone and live with them, :)

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

The fact that we don’t invest in safety lame in the shelters is outrageous and, furthermore, no sources for gaining employment

[@housingspecialist379]

Why do so many social workers talk to everyone else, even peers and colleagues, like they are tiny children? Would love to watch a trauma-informed care video that doesn't speak down to me like I'm 5 years old.

[@really5453]

Based on what I've read, it can be a double-edged sword. Many people who experienced trauma growing up are emotionally stunted but part of growing up is being given more freedom and responsibility.

[@VrFreddy-sk5bz]

That explains why I couldn't pass the cbest while in survival mode

[@stefanamoldovan582]

Beautiful

[@rocketzero2103]

I like this idea, but there is no possible way to implement congregate sheltering that qualifies as trauma-informed. You cannot curtail the stresses associated with theft, violence, and illicit markets (all of which operate under the auspices of the law of the street) until you shelter individuals with individual rooms. It is the congregate part of our shelters that keeps our clients from experiencing normal sleep patterns.

[@brrrrrrrrit2663]

Gets to the point 2/3 of the way in…. If you think shelters have this kind of funding, you’re delusional.

[@alkhatibmanal6061]

wrong statistics baby

[@FeMiNem-Poet]

The subject of living in Vehicles is changing. Thank you for your video🪴 👍 However there are alternatives. There are layers of homelessness as far as living in vehicles. There's a whole society and sub-communities/and nomads who do live in vehicles. The vehicles are equipped from anything from a simple bed to the mini mansions. There are safe parking programs. BLM land forsometimes two weeks at a Time - and long-term visitor parking on the west coast where you get a pass for an average of $200 for 6 months Etc. The sentence living in a vehicle is uninhabitable - at this point is a label and is not accurate respectively.👍 For some yes - and for others no.