New shelter update: Trauma-informed design, part two

You might have heard that Haven’s new shelter – The Barnard Center, which opens this spring! – was designed specifically to help survivors of trauma heal.

This kind of design is what’s called trauma-informed design. What does that mean? Sarah Mohland, a principal at MASS Design Group and our project manager for the new shelter, explains how a hallway design can provide a sense of safety: 

For someone who’s experienced trauma, a long, narrow hallway with sparse fluorescent lighting may not feel like a safe place. The hallways in Haven’s new shelter are:

• well-lit by large windows 

• often serve dual purposes (a library is just off the hallway in one building for example)

• give people walking in them a view of the outside and daylight 

Architect Sarah Mohland spoke more about this in a 2021 Bozeman Daily Chronicle Article: 

Thank you all for being part of Haven’s work and for supporting this trauma-informed new shelter.