Balancing trauma-informed design with a sense of community, dignity, and safety in a behavioral health and transitional housing facility

Haven Transitional Housing

Located just outside downtown Philadelphia, the 19-acre (8-hectare) site has been used for more than a century for the detention and correction of individuals forgotten by society. Today, this publicly owned land will help the City of Philadelphia provide transitional housing for the chronically unhoused.

Built in 1956, the existing complex on the site had served elderly and indigent city residents as the Riverview Home for the Aged. We drew on evidence-based studies of therapeutic landscapes and empathetic practices of resident personas to develop our trauma-informed design approach for this new community.

Our plan addresses the unique needs of the main resident neighborhood groups—veterans, men, women, and seniors. Trauma-informed design emphasizes five key elements—views of nature, varied lighting strategies, residential finishes, minimal clutter, and autonomy and control. We incorporated these ideas into each neighborhood, providing a mix of inwardly focused resident amenities, campus-oriented therapy, and support and public spaces.

Haven’s unique approach brings together housing and health, with wrap-around services for formerly unhoused individuals in a transitional housing program. This conceptual master plan is in line with the Mayor of Philadelphia’s vision to create a “wellness village” along the Delaware River waterfront.