Policy Report | Restoring Dignity: A Blueprint for a Trauma-Informed Shelter System in New York City
Read the full report
People experiencing homelessness deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The way we design shelters reflects whether we mean that.
For nearly four decades, NYC’s shelter system has had to expand and contract quickly in response to demand, the need for beds taking priority over intentional design. The resulting system is made up of structures rarely designed to accommodate the needs of highly traumatized populations—and because of this, many of NYC’s shelters perpetuate the very trauma the system is trying to help people overcome. Meanwhile, fragmented ownership, a lack of capital investment pathways, and stigma against funding homeless services make quality improvements nearly impossible today, despite the best efforts of the nonprofit providers and staff tasked with operating them.
This report is a blueprint for how NYC can utilize trauma-informed design to mitigate stressors, preserve dignity, and improve outcomes across the shelter system. Trauma-informed design is not merely an aesthetic upgrade–it’s a means of creating environments where people feel safe enough to enter shelter in the first place, and supported enough to achieve long-term stability once inside.
Drawing on practical design ideas piloted at VOA-GNY programs, the report explains why quality improvements have been so difficult to achieve under current funding and ownership structures, and outlines how new City leadership can work with operators to make trauma-informed renovations possible at scale—resulting in higher-quality programs and real savings for the City over time.
Webinar | Shelter Report: Restoring Dignity
October 1st, 2026 | 11 am – 12 PM
Join us to learn more about the latest report from Volunteers of America-Greater New York, “Restoring Dignity: A Blueprint for a Trauma-Informed Shelter System in New York City.”