Trauma-informed housing design requires up-front investments of time and resources to ensure that the community is meaningfully engaged and empowered in the design and decisionmaking processes. This investment in the early stages can result in stronger resident buy-in, better design, and smoother operations in the long run. Building the infrastructure for rigorous community engagement requires allowing time for relationship and trust building with residents, leaders, and resident councils; planning how to engage with and convene residents regularly and at times and locations that work for them; establishing mechanisms for compensating resident leaders for their time and engagement; and developing resources to facilitate clear, accessible communication, such as newsletters, social media, translation services, and interpreters. Though potentially daunting, investing in these processes is essential to engage the community in an inclusive design process. When taking on these processes, POAH recommends starting with a few smaller goals that can be revisited and built out as the project unfolds and as more community members are invited to provide input to shape the vision.

POAH also emphasizes transparent budgeting, inclusive decisionmaking, and consistent communication as key guiding principles for engaging residents and sharing power throughout the development process.

• Transparent budgeting means bringing the community into open discussions around spending decisions and the challenges and constraints of a limited budget. For example, on a recent POAH project in Chicago, some residents wanted new kitchens, while others were more interested in new bathrooms. The budget could not pay for both, so POAH created three options for unit designs based on the budget. They took the options to the community to discuss and vote on which they valued more. Based on their input, POAH modified the design to incorporate elements that were most important to residents, and they plan to conduct post-occupancy research to explore the impact.
• Inclusive decisionmaking means inviting and including residents’ input in a consequential way through shared decisions. In Miami, residents wanted increased access to water and were very interested in POAH building a pool. POAH was concerned that a pool would be difficult to manage and would ultimately disappoint the community. To be responsive to resident input, POAH connected with residents and cocreated a design for a splash pad instead of a pool, which would meet the community’s expressed needs and be more easily managed and maintained.
• Consistent communication means that residents are included in the design phase and beyond, so they are continually updated during the implementation phase and engaged in decision points that arise throughout the development process.

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