Fostering Recovery from Homelessness with Trauma-Informed Care

Purpose: This project evaluates the impact of education on a housing program worker’s attitude toward trauma-informed care (TIC). Background: Trauma, particularly among women and families experiencing homelessness, is widespread and creates lifelong effects on physical and mental health. Unaddressed trauma perpetuates homelessness despite resources provided by human services. Human service providers must possess positive attitudes toward TIC for successful implementation. Evidence shows that education is the most effective tool to improve attitudes toward TIC. Methods: This project occurred at an emergency shelter in the southwestern United States, serving women and families without housing after receiving expedited Institution Review Board (IRB) approval. Participants signed informed consent and completed the first Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scale immediately after an educational session describing the project. Participants had 8 weeks to watch a 1-hour webinar providing an overview of trauma and TIC created by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Upon completing the webinar, participants completed a second ARTIC scale. Responses were analyzed using Intellectus Statistics software. Results: The two-tailed paired samples t-test showed significance (p=0.19) in participants’ (n=6) attitudes toward TIC after receiving education on its impact on recovery from homelessness. Conclusion: Successful implementation of TIC begins with an assessment of staff readiness. Positive attitudes toward TIC are necessary and begin with education, an evidence-based tool for attitude improvement.