Haven Homes - User contributions [en]

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2026-03-03T03:21:44Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

* Homes That Heal
** Haven House|Haven House
** Haven House|      • About the Home
** Haven House Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Cloud Nine Studios|Cloud Nine Studios
** Cloud Nine Studios|      • About the Apartments
** Cloud Nine Studios Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Info for Non-Profits|      • Info for Non-Profits
* Trauma-Informed Design
** Trauma-Informed Design|Overview
** Safety & Security|      • Safety & Security
** Healthy Habits & Harmony|      • Healthy Habits & Harmony
** Choice, Comfort, & Privacy|      • Choice, Comfort, & Privacy
** Nature & Beauty|      • Nature & Beauty
** Therapeutic Location|      • Therapeutic Location
* Therapeutic Artwork
** Therapeutic Artwork|Overview
** Curated Spaces|      • Curated Spaces
** Décor Library|      • Décor Library
** Digital Art Displays|      • Digital Art Displays
** Healing High Art|      • Healing High Art
** Artist Connections|      • Artist Connections
** Journey Gallery|      • Journey Gallery
** Ideal Self-Portraits|      • Ideal Self-Portraits
** Restorative Pathway|      • Restorative Pathway
** Lunar Beacon|      • Lunar Beacon

* Animal Support
** Animal-Supportive Homes|Animal-Supportive Homes
** Animal-Supportive Homes|      • Overview
** HEART for Healing|      • HEART for Healing
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|Animal-Supportive Architecture
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Overview
** Animal-Supportive Architecture#Concepts_in_Production|      • Concepts in Production
** Litter Closet|              ◦ Litter Closet
** Cat Loft|              ◦ Cat Loft
** Bowl Basin|              ◦ Bowl Basin
** Sanctuary Gate|              ◦ Sanctuary Gate
** Scratch Station|              ◦ Scratch Station
** Universal Scratch Pad Holder|              ◦ Universal Scratch Pad Holder
** Sensory Landmark|              ◦ Sensory Landmark
** Catwalk Cove Light|              ◦ Catwalk Cove Light
** Lowell Closet|              ◦ Lowell Closet
** Design Principles for Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Design Principles
** Plan to Promote Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Promotional Plan
** Attitudes Toward Animals|      • Attitudes Toward Animals
* About
** About the Project|About the Project
** BASH|About BASH
** About Foster Love|About Foster Love
** Special Thanks|Special Thanks
** Contact Us|Contact Us
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<!-- ** Grooming Archways|              ◦ Grooming Archways
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<!-- ** FAQs|FAQs
<!-- ** About the Author|About the Author
<!-- ** Contact
<!-- ** Rental Information|Rental Inquiries
<!-- ** Rental Information#Pricing & Availability|      • Pricing & Availability
<!-- ** Rental Information#Apply to Rent|      • Apply to Rent
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<!-- ** Contact Us#Current Tenants|      • Current Tenants
<!-- ** Contact Us#Anyone Else|      • Anyone Else
<!-- ** Therapeutic Location (OLD)|Therapeutic Location (OLD)

About the Project

2026-03-03T03:21:44Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

__TOC__
==Overview==

The Haven Homes project is an effort to develop new ways for housing to better serve individuals and society.

Through this project, we aim to convince large-scale real estate developers to build [[BASH|Broad Appeal Specialty Housing]] ([[BASH]]) to reduce problems caused by growing homeownership costs.
To prove the [[BASH]] concept, we are building homes that model how specialty features can cost-effectively create homes that are lifechanging to certain people, yet still appeal to a wide audience.

To show the versatility of [[BASH]], for our first housing projects we chose two very different specialties—trauma recovery housing and pet-friendly housing—and we built features from both concurrently into two different kinds of structures:
[[Haven House]], a group living facility made from an existing residential single-family home,
and [[Cloud Nine Studios]], a new commercial multi-family apartment building.

To that end, we followed principles of [[Trauma-Informed Design|trauma-informed design]] and made [[Animal-Supportive Homes|animal-supportive homes]] that help their inhabitants—both human and feline—feel better and heal. 

==Goals==

While the original goal was only to popularize the [[BASH]] housing model, during the course of the project, additional goals have been added.

For example, we developed several [[Therapeutic Artwork|therapeutic modalities]] to help overcome common barriers that impede trauma recovery therapy. After putting these modalities into practice, we are working to continue developing them and research their efficacy, then share the results to contribute to the emerging field of trauma-informed design.

We also developed several [[Animal-Supportive Architecture|animal-supportive architectural concepts]] that benefit not just the people and pets who will use them, but also the property owners, making these features financially viable for rental properties and affordable housing projects. Similarly, we are working to continue research and development and share what we have learned so that these concepts can benefit more people and animals.

Finally, so far we have built two trauma recovery housing facilities for women, which are in high demand and short supply. We are working to maximize their impact by coordinating with women’s supportive organizations that are in a position to put these facilities to their best use.

=== Multiple Paths to Success ===

While these goals are all interrelated, they each have success conditions that can be achieved independently and in multiple ways.

For example, the project could fail to popularize any concepts—with nobody else ever adopting BASH nor any therapeutic modalities or animal-supportive architecture concepts—but if [[Haven House]] and [[Cloud Nine Studios]] consistently provide housing to people who need it, that will make the project a worthwhile endeavor even if the ideas we attempt to share never travel a mile beyond where they were conceived.

Likewise, everything else could fail, we could go bankrupt, and the two facilities we built could be sold at foreclosure and turned into generic student housing. However, if a single major concept became widely popularized, e.g., if [[Litter Closet|litter closets]] became somewhat common, even if only in the DIY community, or if the [[Restorative Pathway]] were to be validated as an effective therapeutic tool and used elsewhere, the value of societal good done would likely outweigh the amount individually invested, making the project a net positive for the world and able to be considered a success.

=== Future Goals & Moonshots ===

However, this project is aiming higher. For example, by working to bring about this scenario:

* After presenting our ideas to several large-scale developers, one decides to build a sizeable complex of animal-supportive homes.
* This taps into the enormous unsatisfied demand that comes from over half of all renters planning to become pet owners, yet finding truly pet-friendly housing virtually absent from the market.
* The developer rents all the units so quickly that they beat projections and they immediately plan another similar complex, enjoying their first-mover advantage and forcing competitors to follow suit or build different types of specialty housing to remain competitive.
* Capitalizing on the national attention being paid to the local housing industry, the City of San Diego, in partnership with locally-based Petco, launches a jointly-funded campaign to brand San Diego as the most pet-friendly city in America.
* As part of this campaign, grants are made available to fund the additional costs of animal-supportive architecture to affordable housing projects.
* BASH, now mainstream, spreads to other cities and countries. Animal-supportive housing is the universal spearhead, followed by other types that vary by region, ultimately leading to increased home satisfaction worldwide and millions of animal lives saved due to the abundance of pet-friendly housing.

Such a scenario would completely achieve several of our primary goals—and here’s [[Plan to Promote Animal-Supportive Architecture|our plan]] to make that happen—but should that plan fall short of perfection, hundreds of lesser possibilities in which these objectives are only partially realized could still be considered successful.

Below are more of the long-range goals of this project. Admittedly, a few of the later steps in these wishful chains of events are laughably improbable. However, the stakes for society are so high that merely recognizing such a possibility makes us ethically bound to try to make them happen, as the stars have been known to occasionally align in our favor, and landing among them after shooting for the moon still accomplishes a lot of good.


===== Broad-Appeal Specialty Housing (BASH) =====
* Make renting more desirable than owning for many
* Make semi-communal living compatible with capitalism
* Develop new kinds of BASH
** Homes for people in wheelchairs with cats
** Homes for people with large dogs
** Homes for blind people with large dogs
** Homes for people with babies
** Homes for people with small children
** Homes for people with small children with disabilities
** Homes for people with autism

===== Animal-Supportive Architecture =====
* Popularize key animal-supportive architectural concepts
* Increase number of animal-supportive homes
* Soften impact of housing crisis on animals
* Prevent millions of animal deaths
* Catalyze the recognition of animal advocates as the world’s largest, albeit decentralized, cult

===== Trauma Recovery =====
* Continue research and development of therapeutic modalities
* Measure efficacy and publish findings
* Increase use of art and animal companionship in trauma recovery therapy

===== Haven House =====
* Coordinate with local artists to conduct art workshops
* Expand Journey Gallery to secondary gallery for public exhibition

===== Cloud Nine Studios =====
* Measure general and specialized demand for BASH via market experimentation
* Secure permanent endowment to allow residents referred by qualified organizations to stay regardless of ability to pay

===== Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios =====
* Measure efficacy of environmental design and attitudes toward animal-supportive architecture via anonymized feedback
* Measure longitudinal impact of environment on human and feline health and behavior via optional diaries
* Refine trauma-informed design measures and therapeutic modalities to improve mood and behavioral response
* Refine animal-supportive architectural concepts to improve pet health and reduce anxiety
* Validate findings and share with those working in related areas

===== Artist Community =====
* Produce videos for all interested local artists to share via the Artist Connections
* Recognize and promote artists capable of producing Healing High Art
* Share and support app that enables communal art projects that benefit artists

===== Disability Advocacy =====
* Prove efficacy of and popularize new building method that benefits people with disabilities
* Update the Americans with Disabilities Act with more effective measures

===== Mechanical Engineering =====
* Popularize decentralized ventilation

===== Promises Fulfilled =====
* Build an animal sanctuary

===== Neighborhood =====
* Avoid agitating any neighbors
* Prevent bothersome noise
* Attract more residents without cars

===== City =====
* Establish pet-friendly housing grants
* Launch San Diego branding campaign
* Attract more animal lovers to San Diego
* Make San Diego a refuge of kind, generous, compassionate people, making it even safer and more pleasant than it already is

===== World =====
* Help more people recover from trauma
* Improve mental health through pet ownership
* Build stronger social bonds through semi-communal living
* Reduce conflict between socioeconomic classes with greater housing satisfaction
* Avert major war

Healing High Art

2026-03-03T03:21:43Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

Much of the research published on the efficacy of art exposure therapy has been conducted using artwork that is unremarkable, lacking any outstanding aesthetic value or intellectual depth. Many other studies use overexposed classics from bygone eras that may have great significance in art history and culture, but aren't particularly impactful to the typical viewer. Due to the nature of scientific research, most studies examine brief exposure in a laboratory setting, which is antithetical to genuinely experiencing art. By contrast, little research has been conducted on long-term exposure to contemporary works of high art within a living environment, but available data on the supporting concepts suggest this can be an effective therapeutic modality.

Art affects people, whether through immediate chemical reactions, short-term emotional changes, or long-term cognitive shifts. Showing the right art to the right person at the right time can have profoundly useful therapeutic effects.

Works that can reliably captivate attention and evoke positive emotions are difficult to find, but worth the effort as they are generally helpful when placed in a variety of locations. Even rarer still are pieces capable of communicating specific, complex messages related to mental health. When such masterworks can be found, they must be displayed at the right place and time to achieve the proper effect.

===High Art in Practice===
Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios feature several exceptional works of high art that are based on specific concepts vital to trauma recovery. These pieces have been chosen and placed extremely carefully to maximize their impact.

Since Haven House is a shared living environment, these works are primarily in the common areas of the home. For example, "What Shines Through" is hung in the office, which every resident visits at least once a day, but it is hung in a space where it's seen for only a brief moment while entering before being passed by. This is by design because the message the piece illustrates—that positivity is a choice—is crucial for everyone in trauma recovery to learn before they leave. However, this message would be counterproductively harmful to deliver to someone at the beginning of their therapy program, when they are presumably near their lowest. After surviving severe trauma and suffering its effects for a long time, being told that you need to choose positivity can appear hopelessly naïve or worse, like victim-blaming. But since this lesson must eventually be learned, instead of hanging it anywhere it could be stared at and meditated upon for long periods, it is in the only spot where everyone will see it regularly, but not for very long. That way, they can be repeatedly exposed to it for brief durations, so that when their mental state improves to the point where they can be receptive to the concept, they can recognize and accept it.

On the other hand, "Heart Says Go; Gut Says No" is a painting that shows a woman at peace with her conflicting emotions. This powerful piece promotes healthy emotional regulation and encourages women to honor their instincts and protect themselves, especially when they sense danger—an essential message since so many societal mechanisms pressure women to ignore their own feelings and sacrifice their own safety and security in order to please others. This piece is hung by the Haven House front door, as traveling through the portal between the home and the outside world triggers a mental reset, and reinforcing the idea of honoring and regulating one's emotions is useful when coming home to interact their housemates, leaving the home to go to therapy or elsewhere out in the world.

At Cloud Nine Studios, the common areas are all outdoors, where several pieces of high art are placed at key locations to achieve very specific psychological effects with very precise timing for residents as they come home. For details, please read about the [[Restorative Pathway]].

===Caveats===
Those seeking to use this modality should note that doing so is extremely time-consuming, as tens of thousands of original works of art may need to be reviewed before a single suitable one is found.

Such pieces are also usually expensive. However, the value of these works of art could be compared to the value of a low-dose, high-frequency therapeutic pharmaceutical. Amortized over enough people and time, the right art can provide a greater therapeutic benefit per dollar, especially when considering the lack of side effects, interactions, and administration costs, plus the fact that certain art can achieve unique, targeted goals that drugs cannot.

Due to the nature of this delivery through objects that are seen every day, the best concepts to convey through art are either messages that are difficult to accept, or else mantras that demand vigilant effort to put into practice, both of which can benefit from repeated exposure.

Finally, the therapeutic efficacy of artwork is exponentially enhanced by knowledge, i.e., the more the residents know about these works and the artists who made them, the more effective they will be. However, this information must be conveyed when the resident is receptive to it, which is where [[Artist Connections]] can help.

Cloud Nine Studios

2026-03-03T03:21:42Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

__NOTOC__
===A Quiet Place to Thrive===

Cloud Nine Studios is a collection of small apartments that are each sized for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. The construction of Cloud Nine Studios was completed in 2025.

====[[Trauma-Informed Design]]====

These homes were built from the ground up to take care of an individual and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision as a primary concern.
Details everywhere are designed to make residents feel [[Safety_&_Security|safe and secure]], make sure they're [[Choice,_Comfort,_&_Privacy|comfortable]], and encourage [[Healthy_Habits_&_Harmony|healthy habits]].
Furthermore, they are [[Furnishings|fully-furnished]] with nearly every home good a person would need, reducing stress and setting residents up for success.

One of the most impactful features is the overall design concept, as these are highly functional homes built for one.
As it stands, a person who wants to live by herself has limited options, each with severe drawbacks.
Homes with nice amenities are typically huge to maximize property value; however, small spaces are much better for trauma recovery.
Meanwhile, small homes typically have stripped-down features, but people recovering from trauma need an environment that's better than normal, not worse. 
None of these options match the requirements of a person living on her own, which leads to additional problems that just make recovering from trauma even harder.

The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are designed specifically for just one person.
Furthermore, these are highly engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.
The leads to an environment ideal for trauma recovery: Small enough to feel manageable and cozy, but packed with features that help people to [[Healthy Habits & Harmony#Sleeping_Well|sleep well]], [[Healthy Habits & Harmony#Cooking_at_Home|eat healthy]], [[Healthy Habits & Harmony#Keeping_Organized|stay organized]], and keep a [[Healthy Habits & Harmony#Maintaining_Cleanliness|clean home]].

Beyond these healthy habits, living in an environment that feels "just right"—like it was made just for someone like her—can have a powerfully positive impact on the mental wellbeing of people who are struggling with low senses of self-worth, purpose, or belonging.
To that end, these homes were designed to fit residents like gloves tailored just for them, leading to these benefits along with high degrees of comfort and satisfaction.

For more, see [[Trauma-Informed Design]].

====[[Therapeutic Artwork]]====

Some of the measures taken at Cloud Nine Studios to provide psychological benefits through the environment are obvious, like the [[Décor Library|décor library]] and [[Digital Art Displays|digital art displays]], which both allow residents to customize their homes with artwork of their choice.
Other measures, like the many taken to optimize the experience of looking in the [[Ideal Self-Portraits|mirror]], are more subtle.
While the effects of this modality are important, most of the work was done in the architecture design, as this relies on the very specific combination of an alcove, door, wall, window, and light fixture.
The end result calls little attention to itself despite being significantly helpful for people living with PTSD.

Somewhere in the middle is the [[Restorative Pathway]], which is designed to help make residents feel better each time they walk home and, over time, break down stubborn barriers keeping people from participating in therapy. On the one hand, the experience is so unique that it could not be missed; however, like nearly all other measures, its therapeutic efficacy does not rely on understanding, so while some residents will be aware of how it works and others will not, all will benefit.

For more, see [[Therapeutic Artwork]].

====[[Animal-Supportive Homes|Animal Support]]====

Cloud Nine Studios is a collection of [[Animal-Supportive_Homes|animal-supportive homes]].
Within each apartment is a full suite of features designed to take care of the most important living needs of cats in the space that is the least useful to humans.
The entire building was built around these [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In_Cat_Features|features]], like a [[Bowl Basin|plumbing system]] that safely enables always-full water bowls and a [[Litter Closet|ventilation system]] that allows residents to live with multiple cats in a small space without it smelling like a litter box.

For those without pets at Cloud Nine Studios, the aspects of [[Animal-Supportive Architecture|animal-supportive architecture]] are essentially invisible or have secondary purposes.
For animal lovers, however, these features make lifechanging differences, including a massive upgrade to the quality of life, health, and comfort for both people and their pets.

At Cloud Nine Studios, the work required to care for cats is dramatically reduced, which gives everyone increased freedom and flexibility, but is extra important for people operating at diminished capacity who sometimes struggle to take care of their own needs.
These features will allow some residents to have pets who otherwise could not, which for animal lovers is incomparably better than living completely alone, especially for people recovering from trauma.
The cats benefit too, as living in an environment designed around their needs leads to happier, healthier pets, which in turn contributes to a positive feedback loop of emotional and behavioral improvements for animals and the people who care for them.

For more, see [[Animal-Supportive Homes]] and [[Animal-Supportive Architecture]].

==Photo Gallery==

Safety & Security

2026-03-03T03:21:42Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

Trauma, by its very nature, disrupts an individual's sense of safety and control, leaving lasting impacts on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Feeling safe, both physically and emotionally, is the most fundamental requirement for trauma recovery; thus, providing an environment that fosters feelings of safety and security is the top priority.

A large portion of this is achieved through location. Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios were built in a calm, mature neighborhood of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no fast or through traffic; sometimes hours can pass without a car driving by. This location is extremely quiet and peaceful. Although rare to find in a place this central within a major city, there is essentially no street noise. This location is nestled in a natural canyon, which eliminates almost all noise from wind or adjoining areas, making it especially serene. Often, the only ambient sounds residents will hear are the calls from songbirds in the surrounding trees. This lack of auditory threat cues allows the amygdala to wind down and the parasympathetic nervous system to be engaged, lowering the heart rate and increasing the sense of calm.

Furthermore, Cloud Nine is set far back from the street, surrounded by canyon walls and mature vegetation, enhancing the feelings of insulation created by the [[Restorative Pathway]]. When combined with the natural white noise generated by the waterfall, it’s practically impossible to hear any sounds from the street while outside, let alone inside. People with PTSD will enjoy a significant amount of stress reduction just by living in a place so safe and free of chaotic sensory input.

Both buildings have been designed to have extremely high visibility around all entrances and lighting that eliminates shadowy areas. Despite being uncommon features in such a safe area, both actual and perceived safety have been enhanced through a variety of physical security measures such as motion-activated lights, advanced electronic door locks, double-gated perimeter paths, and an extensive network of security cameras.

However, for people recovering from trauma, it is not enough just to be safe but to also feel safe. To that end, certain architectural elements elevate the perceived safety even further. For example, the outdoor aesthetic incorporates elements from castles, like rough-hewn stone block walls, keystones and crossheads, and handcrafted lion door knockers on every entry door. While such features do not provide any additional physical security, they do deliver subconscious cues that calm residents and guide them toward seeing their home as a fortress that will keep them safe.

To learn about the largest measure taken to make residents feel safe, please read about the [[Restorative Pathway]].

Restorative Pathway

2026-03-03T03:21:40Z

Chris: Chris moved page Recovery Pathway to Restorative Pathway without leaving a redirect: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

People living with complex PTSD often have symptoms that hinder therapy, like emotional dysregulation, dissociation, or sleep disturbances. One of the worst of these is the loss of a sense of "home," often caused by extreme trauma that happened there, such as domestic violence, familial sexual abuse, or sex trafficking.

Without any place they feel safe, people feel lost and exposed. Out of control and belonging nowhere. Worthless. Helpless. Hopeless. Worse still, they exist in a constant state fight-or-flight, a stress response which causes serious harm to both mental and physical health and makes it next to impossible to genuinely participate in therapy, let alone make any meaningful progress.

In the most ambitious experiment in this project, the Restorative Pathway, we have set out to tackle one of the most stubbornly therapy-resistant obstacles to healing for survivors of extreme trauma, and moreover to do so using environmental design. We posit that some of these survivors can have their sense of home and security restored by doing nothing more than walking home regularly along the path that leads to Cloud Nine Studios.

===The Steps to Recovery===
While on this path, residents are in a liminal space. During the time it takes to traverse it, we have the opportunity to change the way they feel about the experience of making this transition between the outside world and their residence.

To that end, this path and the entire entry process have been carefully constructed to cause a sequence of psychological effects, each of which are mostly mild and insignificant on their own, but when combined and repeated over time, can create a significant therapeutic effect.

Furthermore, each step of the path is designed to create experiences that are unique throughout each residents' day, if not their entire lives, as this serves to aid memory formation and isolate the experiences, preventing them from being grouped with or compared to previous experiences, which could have negative feelings associated with them. 

=== Step 1: Gated Airlock ===
An airlock is a chamber with multiple doors designed to control the transfer of air or other substances between areas of differing pressure or cleanliness. It acts as a buffer zone, preventing contamination from disrupting the environment on either side of the airlock. Similarly, a security airlock is a chamber designed to control the movement of people between areas, and prevents unauthorized access to sensitive areas through multiple checkpoints. Here, an airlock is created between two security gates.

'''Key Moment: Approaching the First Gate'''

From the very beginning, the experience of coming home to Cloud Nine is notably different. These security gates are the opposite of ostentatious; rather they are designed to be hidden in plain sight by being camouflaged as a normal section of a fence.

Residents looking at the gate will immediately recognize it as familiar waypoint that marks the entry to the path home, which will calm the amygdala and lower cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels. However, they will also recognize it as a secret they are in on, which produces a mild sense of self-satisfaction and belonging, which in turn, boosts self-esteem, making them feel more worthy and valuable.

'''Key Moment: Operating the First Gate'''

These gates not only look different, but operating them also feels different from using almost any other door. Residents unlock them by holding a proximity key in the proper location, after which the huge, 5-foot-wide steel door opens automatically, swiftly and silently.

Residents will receive a small dose of dopamine when the gate opens as expected. Furthermore, those with generalized anxiety disorder will feel relief as their worry that their key will not work proves to be unfounded in this moment (as well as at the next gate and the front door). After the gate closes automatically behind them, residents' amygdala activity and stress hormone levels should drop significantly, as a powerful barrier now exists between them and the outside world.

'''Key Moment: Walking Through the Airlock'''

An empty space between two secure gates, the airlock is an overtly liminal space within an already liminal path.

Crossing it involves a short walk toward a clear, unchallenging objective, which occupies the entire body but not the mind. These conditions result in the release of dopamine and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the effects of the sympathetic nervous system—which governs the "fight-or-flight" response—returning the body to a state of calm and giving the brain a brief moment to relax and wander.

'''Key Moment: Operating the Second Gate'''

Unlocking the second gate has a similar effect to the first, but severely muted because it is now a recently repeated action. When the gate opens to reveal the expansive courtyard, seeing the grass, trees, and flowers will reduce amygdala activity and lower stress hormones somewhat, but that impact pales in comparison to the calming effect of what happens next.

After the gate closes and looks like it has become part of the fence again, the gated airlock the residents just walked through becomes an formidable barrier and buffer between them and the outside world. Combined with the unique visual aesthetic of the courtyard, the Cloud Nine Studios grounds can feel like a place in quiet stasis, out of step in space and time with the rest of the universe. This level of insulation and security may seem cartoonishly unnecessary to the average person, but for those whose sense of home has been shattered, or those who want to get away from the source of their trauma, the feeling of safety it provides is both welcomed and needed.

=== Step 2: Winding Path ===

The first step was all about making residents feel safe, deactivating their amygdalae and lowering their stress hormone levels. While walking along the winding path continues to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to extend these calming effects, the second step is largely focused on releasing significant amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

'''Key Moment: Rounding the First Curve'''

As one of the building blocks of learning, the brain finds the recognition of patterns rewarding.

When we see multiple still objects lined up in an orderly fashion, we get some dopamine. When we see multiple objects moving linearly toward organization, we get exponentially more dopamine, with a large amount released in anticipation of the eventual pattern recognition and a substantial spike when it happens. However, the human brain struggles to effectively track multiple objects moving non-linearly, so when we see multiple objects moving in a coordinated, yet non-linear fashion toward organization, the dopamine release is greater still from the visual stimulation, attention-switching, and intense anticipation of an even larger payoff when the pattern is finally recognized.

This is the effect engineered by this environment, which features a large number of captivating visual elements that are aligned in straight lines, but the path running through them is curved, causing their relative positions to shift non-linearly as residents walk by them.

'''Key Moment: Looking at the Lunar Beacon'''

As residents walk along the path, they pass by the [[Lunar Beacon]], a 12-foot steel sculpture that frames a giant mosaic of highly reflective dichroic art glass and is suspended 20-feet from the ground. Between its size, position, and several captivating aspects, it practically forces passersby to look at it.

Looking at such a visually stimulating object also releases dopamine, which is added to the copious amounts released by the aforementioned ballet of non-linear motion being performed by all the other visual elements in the courtyard. Looking at such a unique object—as it is truly one-of-a-kind—aids in the formation and organization of memories, which is important in the long-term, as it is the cumulative impact of many trips along this path that can lead to a profound therapeutic effect.

Finally, the scale and elevated position of the Lunar Beacon all but force onlookers to look up. This is significant because simply raising our head and adopting an upright posture can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our psychological well-being as it raises mood, self-esteem, and confidence while reducing fear, anxiety, and stress. It also has a positive impact on the vagus nerve and the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, both of which play a role in regulating mood and stress response, plus it increases oxygen flow to the brain, which can improve focus, alertness, concentration, and persistence in problem-solving.

'''Key Moment: Thinking about the Lunar Beacon'''

While everything up until this point will affect any who walk the path, even visitors, all residents will know—because it is explained during orientation—that the Lunar Beacon is not just a piece of art, but a functional device that is designed to reunite families that have been torn apart by tragedy, symbolically linking people to lost loved ones via reflected moonlight and eventually helping to guide them back home. The knowledge that a piece created with such intentions and value for life is a permanent part of their home can have a halo effect that makes them feel better about where they live.

For residents with cats, the Beacon may elicit even deeper reactions. It may remind them of the three tiny Lunar Beacons in their own home that are mounted in the spaces built specifically for cats: the [[Cat Loft|cat loft]], [[Litter Closet|litter closet]], and [[Bowl Basin|bowl basin]], which, in turn, reminds them that they live in a place built to take care of not just themselves, but also their loved ones.

Thinking about the practical function of the Beacon can also make people feel more seen, appreciated, and connected, because while they may love their pet, it can feel lonely and isolating if they feel they are the only one who cares, especially if others in their life do not [[Attitudes Toward Animals|love animals]] like they do. However, the Beacon is overwhelming evidence that at least one person out in the world respects and values their relationship with their pet—even if he hasn't even met the animal—so much so that he built an absurdly large contraption just in case it might help them find their way back should they ever get lost.

While a wide variety of thoughts can be elicited by the Beacon, most often, we suspect, looking at will simply make residents think of their cats and how they will see them in just a few moments, a simple but powerful mood elevator that comes with a large dose of oxytocin and is difficult to top.

'''Key Moment: Crossing the Circle'''

The anticipation, stimulation, and dopamine all continue to rise until residents cross the center of the circle, which itself is at the center of the courtyard. When residents reach this point, all the non-linear motion resolves at once and order seems to spring from chaos.

The western Beacon-shaped tree well is seen to be aligned with the connecting curb, which is aligned with the center circle platform as well as the bench and Beacon-shaped pattern on it, which are aligned with the other curb and the eastern Beacon-shaped tree well, and all of these elements point toward the Beacon. From here, the five planters below the Beacon and the holes within them all come into alignment to form a symmetrical shape with angles that also point up at the Beacon. Finally, from here the crown of the closest tree aligns with the hole in the middle of the Beacon, and the four control joints and nine resulting sections they create in the wall behind the Beacon are all visible through and aligned with that same hole.

This many elements in a complex environment coming into alignment at once caps the anticipatory buildup with an even larger and more satisfying spike of dopamine. For sure. dopamine feels good and reinforces behavior, so this rush of it causes a pleasant sensation. However, this feeling quickly fades when the pattern has been resolved, which causes a psychological effect that is equally, if not more important. To see why, it is useful to compare it to more commonly understood neurotransmitter that operates in a similar fashion: epinephrine.

When we perceive a threat, our adrenal glands release epinephrine to prepare our bodies for action, and most or all conscious thoughts are pushed aside to focus on the threat. After the threat has passed, the epinephrine is quickly removed. When this happens, we may not even remember what we were thinking about before the threat appeared, and instead focus on the next thought that comes to mind.

Dopamine can work similarly, and the goal in the step is to make it do so, and more specifically to trigger a mental reset through visual stimuli that capture attention and cause a dopamine spike to reward the brain and then quickly fade, leaving the mind a relatively blank slate, which prepares residents for the next step.

=== Step 3: Waterfall ===
Beside the next section of the path there is a water feature made from natural stone that includes an artificial waterfall that flows into a small pond.

'''Key Moment: Recognizing the Sound'''

While the sound of the waterfall can be heard as soon as residents enter the courtyard, it can fade into the background as white noise, especially when their attention is captivated by the visual elements of the previous step. However, after the mental reset at the end of it, recognizing the sound of rushing water may be the first stimuli to recapture their sensory attention.

The gentle, rhythmic sounds of flowing water can trigger a relaxation response, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing physiological stress measures heart rate and blood pressure. Also, by masking distracting noises and inducing a sense of peace, water sounds can help improve focus, concentration, clarity, and creativity.

'''Key Moment: Walking by the Waterfall'''

Walking by the waterfall compounds the aforementioned relaxing effects of the waterfall sounds by adding more sensory stimuli to the experience, which may also produce an additional neurochemical response.

The primary source of serotonin release during the entry process is exposure to sunlight; nevertheless we aimed to maximize additional release through other stimuli, especially for those who walk the path at night. Research supports that exposure to many aspects of nature can raise serotonin levels (although nature exposure does not nearly rival the efficacy of SSRIs as some claim), and running water is one of the most impactful elements of nature exposure. Furthermore, some researchers have described how small, artificial waterfalls can be constructed to provide the same health benefits as large, naturally occurring falls, most notably, to make them affect the air surrounding them in a way that triggers serotonin release. (The support for this is admittedly limited and needs to be more widely reproduced, but the principles are sound and we followed them in hopes they are effective.)

'''Key Moment: Viewing the Sculpture'''

While walking by the waterfall, residents will also see a sculpture that is nestled among the river rocks. As with all objects of visual interest and beauty, looking at this work of art can stimulate the release of dopamine. However, its true purpose is to attempt to elicit the most elusive of the feel-good hormones: oxytocin.

Oxytocin, the "love hormone," is primarily released through physical touch and social interactions. Considering that Cloud Nine Studios is a collection of women living by themselves, and that some, due to past traumatic experiences, may not like to be touched or even be around other people, some residents may suffer from chronic oxytocin deficiency.

However, under the right circumstances, oxytocin can be released by emotionally evocative visual stimuli or even just thoughts, such as the photograph or memory of a loved one. The challenge here was to find a visual stimulus that evokes an emotional response with each member of a group of unrelated women who might have little in common other than that they have all experienced serious trauma.

To that end, the sculpture depicts an impressionist figure of a small woman sitting with her arms wrapped around her bent knees, with her head in a position that suggests quiet reflection. Beyond its inherent beauty, this sculpture was chosen because it models healthy emotional regulation, as people often use this body position to comfort and reassure themselves when feeling anxious, stressed, or uncertain—emotions common during recovery from trauma. The more residents identify with the sculpture, the better, as it will make them more receptive its message: to love and take care of themselves.

As opposed to the [[Lunar Beacon]], whose deeper meanings rely on understanding its purpose beyond its inherent appearance, this piece requires no such explanation, as its form is intuitively understood. As a piece of [[Healing High Art]], it should come as no surprise that thousands of sculptures were evaluated before one was found that seemed like it had a chance of reliably eliciting oxytocin release for the residents of Cloud Nine Studios.

We were unable to find quality research to either solidly support or contradict this assessment, so this portion of the experiment is based on little more than one person's reasoned belief that this particular sculpture will be able to achieve this specific goal for this very specific audience.

=== Step 4: Fragrant Flowers ===

After passing the waterfall, residents will approach the face of the Cloud Nine Studios building. Across from this is a massive stone planter that runs the length of the building.

'''Key Moment: Seeing the Flowers'''

Just as residents will hear the waterfall before they can see it, so will they be able to see the flowers long before they can smell them. (This is another technique of trauma-informed design: Avoiding surprises by using multisensory cues to introduce new experiences gradually.) However, this key moment doesn't occur until the resident is close enough to see the details of individual flowers and, with any luck, any butterflies they have attracted.

More exposure to nature like this will again activate the parasympathetic nervous system, again lowering cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels and their related stress responses. While this psychological effect is neither new nor novel by this point, it is worth noting that the parasympathetic nervous system is repeatedly activated via a variety of methods throughout the entry process.

Even though this more than most people need, it does no harm and rarely do people complain about being too comfortably relaxed. However, what is overkill for most is necessary for the subset of residents for whom this pathway was designed: those who have had their sense of home destroyed by trauma. Those people exist in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight, so it is immensely helpful to repeatedly activate the system that shuts this stress response down.

'''Key Moment: Smelling the Flowers for the First Time'''

For this step, we set out to create a mix of flowers, with the primary goal being to create a pleasant yet distinct aroma blend that residents have never experienced before. Other objectives included attracting butterflies, avoiding toxicity to cats, triggering the release of endorphins in humans, blooming year-round or for long periods in mild climates, adhering to the calming color palette associated with trauma recovery, and contributing to an aesthetically pleasing mix of flower shapes. (Note: While the primary source of endorphins will be the physical activity of walking along the pat—and for some residents, ascending the staircase—flowers present an opportunity to have another boost of endorphins stimulated by sight and smell.)

With these criteria in mind, this planter was filled with a combination of Lavender, Freesia, Star Jasmine, and Sweet Alyssum. While beautiful to look at, the unique scent of this flower blend is far more important to the therapeutic process.

Other sensory information passes through the thalamus, which filters out much it before relaying it to the cerebral cortex for more processing. However, olfactory signals travel directly to the olfactory bulb and then rapidly to the amygdala and hippocampus, regions heavily involved in emotional processing and memory formation and storage, respectively. This direct connection allows scents to trigger vivid, emotionally charged memories more quickly and intensely than other sensory cues. The neural pathways connecting the olfactory system to the brain's emotional and memory centers give unique smells a powerful ability to evoke memories and enhance memory organization and processing. This strong link can be harnessed to increase the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

All along the path, a series of positive psychological effects and neurochemical tweaks have been made. Cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine—the stress hormones—have been repeatedly lowered and all the feel-good chemicals have been raised: endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, dopamine, and more dopamine. By engineering a distinct, unique smell to be present at the end of this path, this process design triggers a chain of events that starts with some flowers and ends with highly effective respondent conditioning.

When the resident smells this unique scent for the first time, olfactory signals are sent to the amygdala, which has been processing all of these positive emotions, as well as the hippocampus, which sets out to create a powerful memory. A memory such as this requires more than just olfactory information, because smell acts as the index that allows the memory to be located and organized, but the index needs to be associated with related information form a complete, meaningful memory.

With the amygdala concurrently extremely active, the brain's natural course is to associate what it has been processing with the scent, i.e., the feelings the residents have experienced since the last significant transitional event. which for most will be arriving at Cloud Nine Studios from somewhere else. This coalesces all the experiences and emotions felt throughout the entry process thus far into a compact memory block associated with a unique scent.

The way the brain processes olfactory-coded memories—especially those linked to unique scents—serves as a force multiplier that enhances every other part of this process and supercharges the effects of respondent conditioning. When recalled, the emotions felt during the entry process the path can re-experienced powerfully—perhaps even stronger than when they happened on the path—and their collective impact is further amplified by all being experienced at the speed of olfactory processing, which is to say very, very quickly. (Some theorize this faster processing, rather than amygdala activation, is the entire reason emotions recalled from olfactory-encoded memories can feel more powerful than when the events actually happened. The exact cause is unclear, but the amplification effect is not.)

The first opportunity for this recall comes when they leave their new apartment for the first time and walk by the flowers again on their way out. This is triggered by smell alone and is experienced in the context of leaving with different emotional antecedents, so it isn't a significant part of this portion of the therapeutic strategy. The next time they smell the flowers, though, adds a new dimension to the memory-processing dynamic that begins an exponential amplification of the therapeutic effect.

'''Key Moment: Smelling the Flowers Again'''

The second time residents follow the Pathway to their apartment, none of the sensory stimuli will be brand new anymore, so their emotional impact will be lessened. (For that matter, at least for some time, each subsequent trip along the path will diminish the effect it has. However, its effect will likely stop dropping and stabilize at some point. Each step in the path delivers sensory experiences that are so difficult to ignore and so different from what residents encounter anywhere else in their lives that the path's overall impact should always remain at a level sufficient to deliver an effective therapeutic effect. Plus, added to it will be a growing sense of comfort that comes from familiarity.)

Residents will experience each of the steps similarly to the first time through, at least until right near the end, when they smell the flowers for what is technically the third time, but more importantly is the second time they smell them after following the path home just like the first time.

This time, when the memory-processing happens and residents' experiences are compacted into another powerful olfactory-coded memory block, that block gets immediately associated with and evokes the memory of the similar block that was made the previous time and the process that led to its formation. Each additional trip up the path lengthens the chain and compounds the effect.

These carefully constructed olfactory-coded memories make it easy to recall, compare, associate, and effectively group together the collective positive feelings from all trips up the path ever taken and associate them with not just the small that is used to encode all of these memories, but also with the next step, which happens to be the last in the process.

=== Step 5: Front Door ===

Finally, the path that began with the first security gate ends with the front door of each resident's apartment.

'''Key Moment: Seeing the Front Door'''

Continuing the strategy of making a series of different, memorable experiences, several aspects of the front door are different from most others. Each of the solid wood doors are adorned with several metal elements, all designed to contribute to a greater sense of security while using coordinated aesthetic features to avoid feeling institutional.

The dual deadbolts and stainless steel kickplates make the doors feel more substantial, while above the frames are custom keystones flanked by crossheads, architectural elements borrowed from castles to make the structure itself feel more secure. Mounted to each keystone are plaques engraved with the unit numbers, shown in polished aluminum to be comfortably visible at night.

The apartment numbers themselves are not the impersonal three- and four-digit varieties found at huge complexes, hotels, or business suites, but rather the single-digit numbers 1–9. These are modern rarities due to the approvals required from government agencies at the city, county, and federal levels, but the extra effort is worth the psychological impact these numbers have on residents, making their homes feel a little homier.

'''Key Moment: Thinking about the Lion (Optional)'''

The focal point of the front door is a knocker in the form of a majestic lion, hand-carved by a master sculptor, cast in solid bronze with a custom-antiqued satin nickel patina. This lion is a piece of [[Healing High Art]], albeit one which requires people to learn a lot more about it to fully benefit from it. Residents who have learned more about the lion by exploring its [[Artist Connections|Artist Connection]] will know several details about its background and creator which can evoke positive feelings when they are reminded of them by the sight of the lion.

For example, they can learn: This functional masterpiece was made by Karl Deen Sanders, a wonderful and generous person who dedicated his life to two pursuits: creating art and helping others recover from trauma. Shortly before he died, Karl said that making these door knockers for Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios was the most satisfying project he had ever undertaken, because he had never before dreamed there would be a way he could combine his life's two passions and create artwork that could somehow help women heal from trauma.

For this project, we wanted to make the homes feel special as well as more secure, and we also wanted to expose their residents to beautiful works of art even before they entered. To achieve all three goals, we decided to add a sculptural protective ward. Although such items lack any practical function, they have been making people feel safer for thousands of years. We focused on designs popular in medieval Europe in order to coordinate with the keystones and crossheads to give the residents another subconscious reason to view their home somewhat like a castle.

A lion was the natural choice among the classic forms used as wards. After all, these facilities were both built in service to women and cats, and lion prides are matriarchal societies built around and run by lionesses who help and form strong bonds with each other.

As Karl's widow Vanessa, herself a survivor of extreme trauma, explains in the video, the full-maned lion in the knocker adds a subtle touch of masculine protective energy, which can still be welcomed by people who don't want any human men around. Within a feline society, defending territory is a role males would fulfill for the pride—and one of the only roles at that, since the lionesses handle most everything else—in part because the manes that help them seem larger and more intimidating also make it incredibly difficult to hunt. She sees this as a great reminder that bigger is not always better, and that sexual dimorphism means that males and females are different, but not that either are inherently better than the other.

Vanessa also proudly recalls how Karl had never made a satin nickel patina for bronze before this project, and was terrified he would ruin many pieces trying to figure out a way to do it; however, he forged ahead and created a reliable process that opened up an exciting new avenue for his sculptures. She also tells how, in honor of this project and Karl's own contributions in this area, she is working to popularize this lion as a symbol of trauma recovery, with proceeds from sales of door knockers going to fund organizations that help women recover from trauma.

This last detail is one of the most poignant, but there are a wealth of positive thoughts and feelings that can be recalled by any resident who has learned about the door knocker through the [[Artist Connections]] each time they see it when coming home.

'''Key Moment: Seeing a Cat Through the Front Window (Optional)'''
Residents who have cats may come home to the sight of their feline companions greeting them at their front window, which were designed especially for this with extra-deep windowsills at an ideal height for cats. The chances of this are greatly heightened for residents who come home at fairly consistent times and give attention or treats to their pets upon entry, as cats have uncannily accurate internal clocks and will quickly learn to anticipate such rewards.

[[Attitudes Toward Animals|Attitudes toward animals]] vary widely between individuals, but for those with deeply personal connections to their pets, a friendly cat consistently greeting them at the front window could be such a delightfully positive experience that the rush of oxytocin could outperform all the other steps of the Restorative Pathway experience.

'''Key Moment: Going Through the Front Door'''
Each entry door has two deadbolts: The traditional lock uses a physical key and the electronic lock can be opened using a fingerprint, a smartphone, or a numeric code. As different people are comfortable with different levels and methods of security, this gives residents a wide range of options. Those who prioritize convenience may skip the traditional lock and just use their fingerprint to open the electronic lock. Other might always use the traditional lock and only open the electronic lock using numeric codes, which they change often. In an event, letting people choose how they lock and unlock their doors gives an additional boost to comfort and self-efficacy that less flexible systems do not.

Also, people who have experienced significant trauma can feel a spike of stress whenever entering their home, worrying whether they locked the door, or if someone else has opened it, etc. The electronic lock attempts to alleviate anxiety by removing any worries: if the door is closed, it's locked. Furthermore, if any anxieties remain, residents can use an app to review security logs to make sure the door has not been opened since they were last home.

As they open the door, with the scent of the flowers outside still in their nostrils, the first thing residents see is the moss-and-flower artwork on the wall ahead of them, one final visual cue to associate the positive memory experience with the act of coming home. As the door automatically locks securely behind them, thus ends the Restorative Pathway process, closing the respondent conditioning loop that can eventually help restore someone's sense of home by forming a series of positive associations over time through repetition.

===Generalizing the Process===

Despite all the carefully planned steps and key moments in the process, each with their own psychological goals, the entire process only takes about a minute and is integrated naturally into an activity residents have to undertake regularly anyway: walking home.

The overall mechanism of this process is simple: Reliably make people feel safe and good about themselves as they are entering their home. Repeatedly consistently over time, this can restore and enhance positive associations with the concept of home.

This is neither a new nor profound idea, nor would it require such complex machinations for most people to feel that way; however, for those who have survived extreme trauma, proper execution can mean being able to heal from that trauma instead of being stuck in a state of constant stress and anxiety and stress.

However, it should be noted that no single measure we took in this case is essential; the entire method of execution could be discarded and instead be achieved countless other ways.

The steps could be generalized and described by their broad goals...

# Make People Feel Safe
# Trigger Mental Reset
# Make People Feel Good
# Deliver a Unique Scent
# Provide Secure Entry

...or described even more generally by the intended neurochemical outcomes:

# Lower Stress Hormone Levels
# Raise Dopamine Significantly
# Raise Serotonin and Oxytocin
# Trigger Olfactory Memory Processing
# Prevent Stress Hormone Spikes

Furthermore, these general guidelines would need to be followed:

* The therapeutic process needs to be naturally integrated with the process of coming home. No part of the process requires those participating in it to make any special effort or have any knowledge of the process to have its full impact, which makes it especially useful to those who are resistant to or have given up on active therapy.

* The order of operations has a large impact on the efficacy. For example, fountains are part of the entry experience at upscale locations around the world; however, if care is taken to place them after before residents feel safe and are in a receptive state of mind, their impact will be exponentially greater.

* The process needs to be fault-tolerant to the point that, once started, even if some key moments or entire steps don't work as planned, the entire experience will still be overall positive.

As long as these guidelines are followed and the basic steps executed well enough to achieve similar psychological effects, it stands to reason that outcomes would be similar to varying degrees, depending on the severity of trauma.

The Restorative Pathway at Cloud Nine Studios follows a maximalist strategy, designed for extremely the demanding conditions of women recovering from severe trauma while living alone; however similar measures would certainly provide benefits to most people in other circumstances.

For example, at [[Haven House]], even with a comparatively short entry path, several key elements from the Restorative Pathway were used, such as a gently curved path, castle-like architectural features, sensory input from nature including a unique floral scent from live flowers, and a front door with all the same fittings as those at Cloud Nine Studios, only with an even bigger lion. However, this use case is dramatically different. Here, the order of operations cannot be controlled as tightly. The entry experience extends beyond the front door—which is most often opened by someone else—and into the foyer and common areas immediately inside the home, where several of the intermediate steps of the process can happen simultaneously. However, the largest difference by far comes from living with others.

A challenge at Cloud Nine was to create a process by which women can come home alone and feel safe, even at night. At Haven House, most of the travel is done during the day in groups and the house is never empty. Since all the practical safety concerns are well taken care of, in a group living situation like this, how the women feel about their housemates is the top factor affecting their sense of safety at home. After all, coming home to a house full of people someone gets along with is an incredibly therapeutic experience in and of itself; however, living in an environment with people with whom they have constant conflict triggers a stress response. Here, certain fundamental neurochemical objectives, like releasing oxytocin and especially lowering stress hormone levels, are primarily a function of the group dynamic.

The overall goal is still the same: To make people feel safe and good about themselves when they arrive home. In the case of an environment like Haven House, the most effective measure to improve the perceived safety of the home is to improve the interpersonal relationships of the residents. This means that while architectural features like the extra-wide stairway and front door help add to the immediate perception of security, their impact on promoting harmony by [[Conflict-Free Environment|preventing conflict]] is even more important to each residents' long-term feeling toward the home.

Nature & Beauty

2026-03-03T03:21:39Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

At Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios, the environments have been designed to make their residents feel connected to nature and surrounded by beauty.

==Nature==
Evidence suggests that Mother Nature provides therapeutic benefits for people healing from trauma. Specifically, spending time around natural materials or looking at nature-based imagery can significantly lower cortisol and stress levels as well as reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially in women. Nature's calming effects can help individuals regulate their emotions and find a sense of peace, which is particularly beneficial for those with trauma who may experience intense emotions. Thinking about nature can encourage mindfulness, allowing individuals to focus on the present moment and release negative thoughts and emotions. To take advantage of all these benefits to help residents heal, Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios have been designed to provide constant exposure to natural elements.

When coming home to Haven House, residents are greeted with magnolia trees and a collection of colorful, fragrant flowers spilling out of the two large planters on either side of the staircase. Beautiful wood from all over the world fills the first room they walk into, taking various forms, all handmade: a solid block of gnarled monkeypod from Thailand that became an art pedestal, a large wall sculpture carved from a slab of acacia from Bali, a bench made from a live edge slab of black walnut from Vermont, three custom art frames handmade from Canadian birdseye maple, six live edge teak shelves, and several turned wood bowls, each made with multiple hardwoods like magnolia, bubinga, African mahogany, and wenge. Throughout the rest of home they'll find wood practically everywhere they look, from the cabinets and the shutters to the solid wood furniture in every room, large windows to let in fresh air and natural light, and artwork made from stone, seashells, driftwood, natural fibers, pressed flowers, and living plants.

Residents coming home to Cloud Nine Studios experience even more natural elements outside as part of the [[Restorative Pathway]], including a running waterfall and the uniquely pleasant sight and aroma of an enormous wall of African jasmine and honeysuckle flowers. Once inside their homes, handmade custom hard maple woodwork is all around, accenting many of areas built for cats: the deep windowsill platforms where cats can lie in the sun, the finished edge of the cat loft, the threshold of the cat door to the litter closet, and the giant catwalk lightrail that wraps around two walls. The kitchen cabinet pulls are made from real driftwood, the convertible desk-beds are made of solid alder, and the huge [[Ideal Self-Portraits|full-length mirrors]] are made from live edge walnut, where they hang opposite custom art pieces made from dried moss and flowers. Picture and casement windows maximize natural light while minimizing obstruction, and the apartments on the top floor each have two skylights.

==Beauty==

===Using Beauty to Elevate===

A growing body of evidence suggests that surrounding people with beauty can aid in trauma recovery, and is particularly effective for women. Aesthetically pleasing environments can evoke positive emotions, promote relaxation, and reduce stress hormones. This can be especially helpful for trauma survivors who often experience heightened anxiety and difficulty regulating their emotions. Engaging with art provides a non-verbal outlet for processing difficult emotions and memories associated with trauma, and can help individuals to externalize their experiences, gain new perspectives, and rebuild a sense of control and agency.

On a surface level, the way beauty helps is straightforward: Beauty makes people feel good, so we aimed to fill the environment with as much beauty as possible. One of the fundamental design principles followed during the design process was: Anything that can be, should be beautiful; anything that can be, should be art. All furniture and furnishings were evaluated according to the principles of trauma-informed design as well as art objects that contribute to a cohesive aesthetic. At Haven House, we expanded on this by treating the whole home like a gallery, placing paintings and sculpture in practically every available space, sometimes with [[Healing High Art|specific psychological goals]] in mind.

At Cloud Nine, with little space for paintings or sculpture, art was integrated into the architecture. The custom windowsills use extra-thick slabs of solid wood with elegant, elongated curves to elevate what would otherwise be flat stretches of drywall into functional works of art that are regularly illuminated by sunlight. On each cabinet door is a handmade art piece, with the aforementioned handles crafted from real driftwood and the pulls from hand-blown glass in the form of aquatic creatures. The focal point of the room is not just a television, but a [[Digital Art Displays|digital art display]] with access to thousands of paintings and photos of natural scenes, surrounded by a frame hand-crafted from birdseye maple. Whenever possible, functional necessities such as these are used as opportunities to bring more natural materials and beauty into the space.

===Using Beauty to Ground===
Being surrounded by beauty can elevate mood and even help combat feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, but having beauty everywhere you look has yet another practical therapeutic application. People recovering from trauma often experience emotional dysregulation, making it difficult to manage intense emotions. During these moments, grounding techniques, especially those involving objects, can be helpful to regain a sense of calm and presence. Sensory grounding strategies typically begin with looking at several objects before moving on to other senses. Seeing multiple beautiful objects can jump start this process with positive emotions, and a particularly visually stimulating object can even short-circuit it, serving as an emotional lightning rod to ground a person immediately.

Each common viewpoint within the home environment was evaluated, and our goal was to ensure at least one tableau or object of beauty is readily visible. From bedrooms and common rooms to the liminal spaces between, even the bathrooms were included, where natural marble mosaics are always visible through the glass shower doors. This way, no matter when or where these moments happen, residents will have immediate access to a sight that can make them feel a little better and serve as a healthy diversion from their internal distress. Plus, even when not in crisis, these elements help to calm the mind and keep people grounded as they move throughout the environment.

===Using Beauty to Empower===
When furnishing these homes, we aimed to fill them with beauty made by women, and furthermore, when possible, local women.
While this may sound like an initiative to support the people who made the art and décor items, the primary goal was to help the women who would be living with these objects.

Objects of great beauty inspire awe—a powerful emotion that we can harness and redirect to empower the awestruck. For example, when residents first move into Haven House, they can't help but notice the beauty everywhere, but will typically be too preoccupied with other thoughts and emotions to focus on it. However, after they settle into their new home and make progress in therapy, some residents will become curious and use [[Artist Connections]] to learn more about some of the objects that have caught their attention.

This is an intentional setup: Haven House is full of objects of such rare and remarkable beauty that it can be surprising that so many of them were made by people with whom residents have a lot in common. This is where the awe is transformed into self-efficacy, because the more the residents can identify with the artists—the closer they both are in background, personality, age, location, i.e., the more the residents think "she's just like me"—the more likely they may be compelled to visualize themselves doing exactly what the artists did. And since what the artists did was amazing, suddenly people struggling with self-efficacy can find themselves visualizing doing something amazing of their own, which can have a profound therapeutic effect. (Read about the [[Journey Gallery]] for the most extensive application.)

While this strategy has dozens more opportunities to work at Haven House, the residents of Cloud Nine Studios are set up for the most effective version of it. Walking along the [[Restorative Pathway]] every time they come home, there is no escaping the [[Lunar Beacon]], which evokes awe not just for its beauty, but also because it's a 12-foot disc that's 20 feet above the ground and seems to reflect light that isn't there—even professional artists and engineers have to take a pause to think about how it was done. When residents eventually discover the link to the video that explains this piece and introduces the artist, and they learn that this otherworldly behemoth that dominates the entire property was made not by some industrial team but by Christine, who lives on a nearby farm full of rescue animals and who probably has a lot more in common with them than they'd have ever guessed, this calculated psychological sneak attack can jolt them into rethinking what's possible in their own lives.

Therapeutic Location (OLD)

2026-03-03T03:21:39Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

First, the immediate area where Cloud Nine Studios is located has several therapeutic properties. This location is extremely quiet. Although hard to find in a place this central within a major city—and with noisy environments not far away—there is essentially no street noise. Cloud Nine was built in a safe, mature neighborhood of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no fast or through traffic; sometimes hours can pass without a car driving by. Furthermore, the apartments are set far back from the street, surrounded by natural canyon walls and mature vegetation, enhancing the feelings of insulation created by the [[Restorative Pathway]]. When combined with the white noise generated by the waterfall, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. Those living with PTSD will enjoy a significant amount of stress reduction just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

However, the greater area surrounding Cloud Nine Studios also has several therapeutic properties of its own. While hardly a unique design decision, the choice to build in San Diego was the single most expensive and possibly most impactful one made on this project, because many aspects of living in San Diego amplify the efficacy of therapy and facilitate trauma recovery.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways, including individual well-being, community well-being, and quality of life. This means that people coming from other areas are extremely likely to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

For example: A resident moving to San Diego has a >99% chance to experience a more pleasant climate.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

San Diego is a microcosm of excellence across a wide range of measures, many of which contribute to its natural beauty in ways that also help people recover from trauma.
San Diego has the one of the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf lowest pollen counts] of the largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
San Diego is also in the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.
The ideal climate also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
The climate will also help pets—even indoor cats are sensitive to changes in barometric pressure, humidity, and noise that comes from inclement weather, leading to agitation and anxiety.

Furthermore, although hard to quantify by any single study, San Diego is consistently rated as one of [https://happy-city-index.com/ happiest] and [https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-diego-named-friendliest-city-in-usa-11717242 friendliest] cities.
San Diego has long been one of the [https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2025/04/22/san-diego-safest-large-cities-again/ safest large cities] in the country with comparatively low rates of violent crime.
The fact that all residents of San Diego enjoy these advantages compounds to form additional benefits, which helps contribute to a greater sense of community well-being, and on an individual level, can lead to lower levels of stress and anxiety and improve chances that interactions with others in the community will be positive.

Cloud Nine Home Page

2026-03-03T03:21:38Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

__NOTOC__
===A Quiet Place to Thrive===

Cloud Nine Studios is a brand new San Diego apartment complex designed specifically to help women with PTSD recover from serious trauma.

Each studio is sized for a single individual but has most of the features of a larger home.

Although these apartments are small, they have several special features that help residents take care of up to three cats.

PLEASE NOTE: In the future, these apartments will be accessible only through women’s support organizations and mental health professionals.

However, for a limited time, they are available to the public. 

PTSD is not a requirement, as we need baseline feedback data from women without PTSD as well, but all residents must be quiet and respectful to their neighbors to preserve an effective healing environment.

If you think you might be interested, please read...

[[15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios]]

...and...

[[10 Reasons Not to Live at Cloud Nine Studios]]

...for a brief overview.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2026-03-03T03:21:37Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. San Diego is amazingly therapeutic. ===

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide in nearly all measurable ways, including individual well-being, community well-being, and quality of life. This means that people coming from other areas are extremely likely to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Often considered the city with the most consistently pleasant weather in the continental U.S. It boasts a mild, Mediterranean climate with comfortable temperatures year-round, low humidity, and, by many measurements, the largest number of perfect-weather days per year.
San Diego has a more pleasant climate than >99% of the rest of the world, which means that almost everyone coming from other areas will be more comfortable in San Diego, often significantly so. Furthermore, while cities already typically have less pollen than rural areas, San Diego has the one of the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf lowest pollen counts] of the largest cities in the US, making it easier to breathe, sleep, relax, and exercise.

Unpleasant weather or difficulty breathing isn’t just inconvenient; for those recovering from trauma, personal discomfort that cannot be alleviated is a constant drain on mental resources and can lead to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Conversely, the effortless personal comfort that many will feel simply by living in this area will boost the efficacy of therapy through decreased distractions, increased energy levels, elevated moods, and an increased sense of self-efficacy.

The ideal climate also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable. Plus, in most other places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world. This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

San Diego’s natural beauty is a defining characteristic of the city, which is best known for its coastline of over 70 miles of dramatic bluffs, hidden coves, and world-class beaches.
Close to home, you can kayak alongside sea lions at La Jolla Cove, spot migrating gray whales from the cliffs of Point Loma, or explore the kelp forests and tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument.
With just an hour’s drive, though, you could also visit the misty, pine-covered peaks of the Cuyamaca Mountains and Cleveland National Forest or the vast, arid expanse of the Anza-Borrego Desert.
This is a rare combination of options for any single metro area—and part of the reason San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse county] in America, giving you an abundance of choices of ways to connect with nature.

Furthermore, although hard to quantify by any single study, San Diego is consistently rated as one of [https://happy-city-index.com/ happiest] and [https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-diego-named-friendliest-city-in-usa-11717242 friendliest] cities. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage regularly against California—they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but those are a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger effort to create a new housing model that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, please read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

Healthy Habits & Harmony

2026-03-03T03:21:37Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

==Health==
The strength of the mind-body connection is well-documented. Physical health affects mental health and vice versa, so as part of a holistic approach to trauma-informed design, both Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios were built to improve the health of their residents.

At a basic level, this involved measures such as using premium, low-VOC building materials, modern plumbing techniques, active ventilation, and a water filtration system to greatly reduce the amount of harmful substances in the air and water.

At a higher level, this meant purposefully designing environments that promote healthy habits.

===Sleeping Well===
For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted by these environments is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented over a dozen soundproofing measures, from extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells, sound-insulated garbage disposals, and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.

For light control, windows have either shutters or blackout shades, and all rooms have recessed, dimmable lights. Furthermore, most lights at Haven House and every light fixture in Cloud Nine Studios feature dim-to-warm technology, which means these lights automatically turn from cool white to warm yellow light as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and doesn’t interfere with sleep like regular lights do.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax. The overall palette was based on colors that have calming effects on mood. Wherever possible, vertical lines were avoided, as they deviate from natural scenic expectations and heighten anxiety. Rather, horizontal lines, which mimic bodies of water or the horizon, were used in key areas to create a more tranquil environment, most notably on all bed headboards.

Several of the measures taken to improve sleep are more circuitous, but help nevertheless. For example, all bathtubs are made from enameled cast iron. As opposed to their much more common fiberglass counterparts, which are favored by builders because they are lighter and less expensive, cast iron tubs are much more pleasant to use. They do not flex when standing in them, which provides more stability and reduces leg fatigue, encouraging longer, more relaxing showers.

The differences when taking a bath are far more pronounced, because cast iron retains an enormous amount of heat, keeping water pleasantly warm for long durations. Fiberglass tubs, on the other hand, force people to constantly drain and refill the tub with scalding hot water, then manually mix it with the cold while avoiding burning themselves. This may fit the legal definition of taking a bath, but the experience is a far cry from laying back and relaxing for half an hour in a pool of water that stays steamy.

Although not an obvious sleep aid, cast iron tubs contribute to healthy sleep hygiene, because more enjoyable bathing leads to more frequent bathing, and more bathing leads to better sleep. Not only does freshly-washed skin remove a source of distracting irritation late at night, but raising the body's surface temperature shortly before bedtime also triggers a drop in core temperature that greatly aids in falling and staying asleep.

===Cooking at Home===
Since diet so profoundly affects health and cooking for oneself dramatically improves self-efficacy, the environment has been designed to encourage cooking at home as much as possible.

Haven House features two full kitchens with space for multiple people to cook concurrently in each, and at Cloud Nine Studios, despite being fairly small homes, each apartment has a full kitchen with the features and counter space typically found in a regular house.

All of these kitchens are fully stocked with not just dinnerware and flatware, but also the most commonly needed cookware, baking tools, and kitchen essentials, so most residents can take full advantage of the kitchens as they are. Modern conveniences such as coffee machines and air fryers (and, at Cloud Nine Studios, induction ranges) are provided to allow residents to make healthy, tasty food at home quickly and easily. Residents who want any other equipment in their kitchen are encouraged to notify management before buying anything, as most items that can be used by others will be provided upon request.

===Maintaining Cleanliness===
For people with depression or otherwise operating at diminished capacity, maintaining a clean and organized living space can be challenging. Falling behind on home maintenance tasks can create a negative feedback loop that perpetuates and potentially worsens symptoms.

To help combat this, all spaces have been built with maintenance in mind. Through design and material choices, nearly everything is hard to break and easy to clean.

Furthermore, very specific cleaning appliances were chosen to help make routine tasks more accessible. For example, both Haven House and each apartment at Cloud Nine Studios features Miele laundry machines. These washers and dryers are marvels of engineering, taking up half the space of typical machines and being far gentler on clothes. Even though they have the capacity of normal machines twice their size, their tiny appearance encourages people to launder smaller quantities of clothes, which the machines are designed to handle efficiently. This prevents dirty laundry from piling up into a daunting task and allows people to clean and wear their favorite clothes more frequently.

Similarly, since the homes at Cloud Nine Studios were designed for individual living, slimmer dishwashers were used instead of full-size machines, encouraging more frequent use and preventing dirty dishes from accumulating. For both laundry and dishes, smaller machines are not commonly used because they cost much more than larger ones; however, in this use case, their ability to help promote healthy habits justifies the expense.

===Keeping Organized===
Clutter and disorganization are visually distracting and can make people feel overwhelmed and out of control, causing stress and anxiety. On the contrary, organized environments can facilitate the implementation and maintenance of healthy routines, which are vital for trauma recovery. Structure and predictability can create a sense of stability and normalcy that is often disrupted after a traumatic experience. Any measures that help residents keep their environment organized directly contribute to their healing.

Fortunately, both homes are highly engineered environments that squeeze powerful functionality and organizational capabilities into compact spaces, and several of these features help residents keep their space tidy. For instance, the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios as well as the single rooms at Haven House each have highly customizable closets. Each is full of modular organization components based on a system created by famed industrial designer Dieter Rams, and can easily be modified to accommodate practically any needs or preferences.

But closets are not the only easy way to hide clutter. The centerpiece in each of these rooms is the custom convertible desk-bed—custom-made from solid wood, these flexible pieces of furniture allow residents to switch between an oversized desk and a queen-sized bed with a single motion. The bed does not have to be made before switching into desk mode, but what's more remarkable is that the desktop remains level as it swings under the bed, which means the desk doesn't have to be cleared off to transform back into a bed. Whether an unmade bed or a messy desk, a huge amount of visual clutter is always instantly hidden from view whenever the use mode is switched.

Several features throughout the homes encourage specific organizational behaviors. For example, some rooms in Haven House have custom closet doors that were designed around visual cues that lead people to keep them closed. Each set of four doors are made of continuous pieces of exotic hardwood in a layout that looks distinctly mismatched when the closet is left open, but completes a beautiful puzzle when closed, delivering a mild dose of dopamine to reinforce the habit of keeping the visual chaos of the closet hidden from view.

In the double rooms directly above, a different behavior is being encouraged. There, the power strips mounted to the bedside tables provide the only outlets near the heads of each bed, making the table the natural place to charge mobile phones. This places each person's mobile device as far as possible from her roommate, improving harmony by reducing distractions and any actual or perceived snooping. It can also reduce anxiety and increase a sense of stability to have a regular home for such an important personal item in a shared living environment.

However, there is a larger benefit yet. These tables are also the exact depth of the wing walls of the headboard, forming a small alcove that is blocked from view when lying down normally. The space helps promote good sleep hygiene by providing a place for residents to put their phones that is close and secure, but out of sight. This barrier is both practically and symbolically important because it helps to create both a physical and mental separation from the phone when it's time to sleep.

==Harmony==
A harmonious home environment is crucial to trauma recovery, as sustained conflict creates a state of chronic stress that can hinder the healing process. At both housing facilities, harmony is promoted by designing environments that prevent conflict between residents whenever possible.

===Individual Harmony===
Cloud Nine Studios has many features designed to help all the residents get along with each other, mostly by avoiding conflict in the common areas and preventing unwanted sounds from disturbing others. Since unwanted sounds from neighbors are the most likely source of conflict between residents in apartment complexes, there is a noise level policy that is strictly enforced; however, this is rarely a problem due to extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment.

Inside each apartment, the garbage disposals are encased in thick insulation shells to quiet them, the convertible desk-beds have industrial hydraulic dampeners to make them close softly instead of thudding, and the TVs are mounted on exterior walls, with sound focused perpendicular to neighbors on either side. Plus, double-paned windows and solid core doors block sound coming in or going out of each home.

Outside, the waterfall portion of the [[Restorative Pathway]] not only aims to elevate residents' moods, but the white noise it generates also helps to mask any noise made while entering or exiting the building. Plus, to make everyone more comfortable and avoid other conflicts, wide pathways and oversized common outdoor areas mean residents won't ever be forced too close to each other. In addition, having the bicycle storage and communal trash bins located out of sight of the main living area helps prevent conflicts that arise from how residents use these amenities.

Finally, the walls between neighboring units were built extra thick with sound-deadening panels and staggered stud construction, which drastically reduces the sound transmission through them. Similarly, the extra joist thickness that was required for the [[Bowl Basin|bowl basins]] in upstairs apartments also helped reduce the sounds traveling between floors.

===Shared Harmony===
At Haven House, promoting harmony is far more complex because it is a group living environment. There, measures were taken to address the most common sources of conflict between residents in shared housing.

Many conflicts are avoided simply by providing plenty of space. Haven House has massive amounts of storage, both communal and individual. Each resident gets more space for their clothing, food, and other personal items than most would ever need. In shared bathrooms, each person has their own equal storage space as well as a dedicated towel rack, a simple but powerful measure that ensures there is never a need to hang wet towels anywhere that could bother another resident.

All shared spaces in the home are designed specifically to be shared equally like this. For example, the lower floor of Haven House is built to be shared by four people. Everything from the two refrigerators to the two bathrooms is designed to be split equally—even the storage closet, which has four perfectly identical compartments at convenient levels as well as additional spaces at the top and bottom that are easy to subdivide.

In shared living environments such as this, conflicts frequently occur over sensory annoyances. Great care has been taken to prevent these, especially those that could disturb sleep. For example, all recessed lights in double occupancy rooms are on gimbals so they can be pointed at walls and away from the beds. This not only provides softer, indirect lighting that illuminates art and reduces shadows; it also prevents one resident from accidentally turning on a light that shines directly into the eyes of her roommate.

Because this home is not just shared, but shared by people recovering from trauma, extra care has been taken to improve the experience of each individual without negatively impacting the experience of others; for more examples, see [[Choice, Comfort, & Privacy]], concepts which are deeply interrelated with harmony.

Choice, Comfort, & Privacy

2026-03-03T03:21:37Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

Choice, comfort, and privacy are crucial aspects of trauma-informed care and recovery. When people have experienced trauma, they often feel a loss of control and a diminished sense of agency. Reintroducing these elements into their environment and interactions can empower people and foster healing by increasing their sense of autonomy and self-efficacy.

===Choice===
As a key component of self-efficacy is control over one's environment, these environments have been designed to give residents broad control over them. As much as possible, rooms have been designed to be flexible environments that can be adapted to a resident's preferences and needs.

Even though fully furnished, all residents can radically change the appearance and mood of their environment by selecting and placing objects from the [[Décor Library]] or by changing what is shown on their [[Digital Art Displays]]. Those in Cloud Nine Studios and certain rooms at Haven House can also change the color of accent lighting to suit their tastes.

In some cases, vast control is given over the layout and function of entire rooms. The best example is found in the single rooms at Haven House and all of Cloud Nine Studios, where custom convertible desk-beds give residents the power to transform their space between a bedroom and an office in just a few seconds. In a more traditional example, the living room at Haven House is designed to be flexible, with all modular furniture that can be rapidly changed between numerous layouts. This empowers everyone in the home to easily configure the living room for their own purposes without infringing on anyone else's ability to do so.

===Comfort===
The location does much of the work here. San Diego has one of the most ideal climates in the world and is naturally comfortable for most people, most of the time. High-powered HVAC units, which are in every bedroom in Haven House and all of Cloud Nine Studios, allow residents to fine-tune their environment to their exact preferred temperature within minutes.

Residents also have significant control over the light in their environment. All rooms in both facilities feature dimmable recessed light fixtures. For most residents of Haven House and all residents of Cloud Nine Studios, the lights in their rooms also feature gimbals, so their direction can be customized as well. Plus, all bedroom windows have either shutters or shades to control natural light.

===Privacy===
Once again, the location does much of the work, as the area is quiet and private.

Even in a group living facility, Haven House provides privacy to its residents. All bedroom doors have a heavy-duty deadbolt and are made of solid wood, which provides significant sound dampening that is further enhanced by the heavy mirrors attached to the insides of them. In double occupancy rooms, each roommate has multiple pieces of storage furniture for their exclusive use.

At Cloud Nine Studios, to enhance privacy between fellow residents, many measures have been taken to reduce sound between the apartments. and all windows have both translucent light-filtering and opaque light-blocking options. Furthermore, all apartments have their own washers and dryers, which is nearly unheard of in a studio of this size, preventing residents from having to take their clothes out of their home to launder them.

However, the level of privacy at Cloud Nine Studios is extraordinary and goes far beyond these mundane details.

To begin, the building itself is mostly hidden from the street, which has no through traffic, and the entry gate is camouflaged; all of Cloud Nine is designed to be easily missed by those who don't already know it's there. Access to the building requires passage through an airlock formed by two high-security gates. Once through these, the Cloud Nine grounds are heavily insulated from the outside world, and with only nine total residents, they are usually completely quiet except for the sounds of the waterfall and local songbirds. (Read about the [[Restorative Pathway]] to learn more about the experience of coming home to Cloud Nine Studios.)

The entry doors for each apartment feature both automatic and manual deadbolts, which can be used separately or together. Visitors who wish to gain access can make requests via a video intercom at the outside gate. There, residents can choose to grant them access through both gates, or just the outer gate in case they would prefer to have deliveries left in the secure airlock area. Visitors granted full access can still be screened using another video intercom mounted to the front door of each unit—whether they are home or not—giving residents an extreme level of privacy and great control over how they manage it.

===Striking a Balance===
The elements of choice, comfort, and privacy frequently intersect with each other as well as with harmony. Sometimes they all rise together; however, when one person's choice or comfort costs someone else their own, that creates an untenable scenario with a clear winner and loser. Finding a way to give residents more power over their own environment without disturbing anyone else can be a challenge.

A simple problem that encompasses all of these elements: Two people share a room, and one wants to go to sleep while her roommate does not. The same bedside table lamp that would give one person choice and comfort would take choice, comfort, and even privacy away from another. What's worse, in group living environments, win-lose scenarios such as this are actually win-lose-lose, since conflicts between any two people often spill over to create disharmony in the rest of the household as well.

However, win-win-win solutions are sometimes possible, and we endeavored to find as many as we could. In one case, the solution was to increase the capacity of the water heaters at both facilities to effectively provide endless hot water, allowing all residents to take long showers or draw full baths as they please without impacting any other resident's power to do so. In another case, the solution was to use enterprise-level security appliances to give each apartment at Cloud Nine Studios its own fully partitioned and isolated network.

In the case of the roommates with different bedtimes, some carefully chosen furniture and fixtures did the trick at Haven House, as illustrated in the photos below. Here you can see how, between the wings of the headboard and a directional lamp, one person can stay up with plenty of light for reading or other activities, while her roommate can sleep without any light bothering her. In this way, each person can control her own environment without disturbing the other's choice, comfort, or privacy, preserving harmony within a shared home.

Lunar Beacon

2026-03-03T03:21:35Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

[[File:Gray.png|thumb|left|Photo: Lunar Beacon]]
===Captivating Beauty===
As residents walk along the [[Restorative Pathway]] in front of [[Cloud Nine Studios]], they pass by a 12-foot steel sculpture that frames a giant mosaic of highly reflective dichroic art glass and is suspended 20-feet from the ground. Between its size, position, and composition, it practically forces passersby to look at it.

This is The Lunar Beacon, or, more accurately, a large Lunar Beacon™ brand [[Sensory Landmark|sensory landmark]] that comes in the form of a large wall sculpture entitled “The Lunar Beacon.” This is because this is not so much an art piece as it is a functional device disguised as an art piece.

===The Windows to Our Souls===
While visually pleasing to humans, this device has been specially designed to be highly visible to cats. First, whereas human eyes see red, green, and blue light, cat eyes only detect green and blue. [[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Photo: How the Lunar Beacon appears to cats at night]]Since The Lunar Beacon is made of green and blue glass, it will appear as a brightly colored object, standing out from all others which appear relatively colorless. The uneven angles and textures of the mosaic pieces cause light to reflect wildly differently with even small positional changes, which simulates movement, which cats’ eyes are built to detect, especially in low-light conditions.
Furthermore, this is dichroic glass, which is so reflective that it appears illuminated to humans with just a small amount of moonlight. This means that to a cat, which has about 6–8 times better night vision, this incredibly bright, colorful, shimmering shape will be highly visible at night to cats from a long distance away, and may even be the only object visible in the distance, since cat eyes are not built for long-range sight.

This high visibility becomes useful in the event that a cat ever accidentally escapes from their home and becomes lost. Cats instinctively climb to great heights and use their wide field of vision to survey their surroundings, If The Lunar Beacon is anywhere within their line of sight, the cats will see it, and it can help guide them home.

===Guiding Lost Souls Home===
Any cats living at Cloud Nine Studios should recognize The Lunar Beacon as soon as they see it, because inside each apartment are three Lunar Beacon sensory landmarks, made of the same material and in the same shape, just tiny and mounted in the spaces built specifically for cats: the [[Cat Loft|cat loft]], [[Litter Closet|litter closet]], and [[Bowl Basin|bowl basin]].
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|left|Photo: Poem on plaque below Lunar Beacon]]
Residents can also choose to wear even smaller Lunar Beacon rings, earrings, pendants, or charms to further deepen the associations between the appearance of the Lunar Beacon sensory landmarks and their cats’ concept of home.

The Lunar Beacon is already beautiful to the casual observer, but the knowledge of its function and purpose elevates it to a work of [[Healing High Art]] for the residents, who will have learned these details during orientation. They will know it is not just a piece of art, but a device designed to reunite families that have been torn apart by tragedy, symbolically linking people to lost loved ones via reflected moonbeams and eventually helping to guide them back home. Recognizing that a piece created with such intentions and value for life is a permanent part of their home can have a halo effect that makes them feel better about where they live.

''LUNAR BEACON is a registered trademark of Foster Love, Inc. Used with permission.''

Restorative Pathway

2026-03-03T03:21:35Z

Chris: Text replacement - "Recovery Pathway" to "Restorative Pathway"

Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers

2026-03-02T12:29:16Z

Chris: /* Adoption Fees */

== Free Services ==

=== Adoption Fees ===

We will pay the adoption fees for a cat from [https://www.friendsofcats.org/ Friends of Cats] in El Cajon or [https://frostedfacesfoundation.org/ Frosted Faces Foundation] in Ramona once per year for each resident.

Please Note: Haven Homes is not affiliated with either of these organizations.

=== Yearly Vet Checkups ===

Once per year, we will pay for all the cats living at Cloud Nine Studios to get a physical health examination from a local veterinarian.

== Devices Provided ==

=== Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes ===
Residents who have two or more cats will be given the use of premium automated self-cleaning litter boxes (these typically cost $600 or more). Upon moving out, residents will be given the option to purchase their litter boxes at a reduced cost.

=== Self-Filling Water Fountains ===
To promote your cats’ health, we will provide a filtered water fountain to any resident who needs one. At your option, we will also install an automatic filling device to make sure your fountain never runs dry. If you would prefer to use your own water bowl instead, we will modify your bowl to be automatically filled. (Most designs with a reservoir can be adapted.)

=== Automatic Cat Feeders ===
Each resident will be given the use of an automatic cat feeder, which allows the remote control and monitoring of cats’ feeding schedules, even when away from home.

=== Cat Accessibility Devices ===
Decorative carpet panels that have been framed to look like artwork are available to give highly mobile and active cats and alternate path from the windowsill near the closet to the cat loft. Also, custom ramps are available to provide alternate routes to the cat loft and other upper living areas for cats with limited mobility who are not able to comfortably use the existing routes.

===Lunar Beacons===
In addition to the the huge [[Lunar Beacon]] on the side of the building, we also made 27 tiny versions of it. Rather than 12 feet, these are only 6 inches in diameter, and each apartment has spaces for three: One in the litter closet, one in the bowl basin, and one in the cat loft. These are designed to be viewed by the cats, not the residents, to serve as behavioral training aids. Combined with the blue vinyl in each of those areas, they help cats to understand which areas are intended for their use. However, the larger purpose is to familiarize them with the appearance of the Lunar Beacon and associate it with home, so that if they are ever accidentally let outside and they see the large Lunar Beacon, it can help guide them home. To that end, wearable Lunar Beacons, in forms such as shirts and jewelry are also available.

For more, see [[Lunar Beacon]].
<gallery>
File:Gray.png|Photo: Self-Cleaning Litter Box
File:Gray.png|Photo: Self-Filling Water Fountain
File:Gray.png|Photo: Automatic Cat Feeder
File:Gray.png|Photo: Cat Accessibility Devices
File:Gray.png|Photo: Lunar Beacons
</gallery>

== Built-In Cat Features ==
Each apartment is full of features that build the living needs of cats into the home. Please see the [[Animal-Supportive Architecture]] section for more details, but here is an overview:

===[[Litter Closet]]===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Video: Litter Closet]]It’s hard to imagine having even just one cat in a small home without feeling like you’re living in a litter box, but it’s possible with a [[Litter Closet|litter closet]].

These tiny bathrooms for cats can be constantly ventilated to create negative air pressure, which means no air or odor escapes. This is accomplished using a hyper-efficient fan that costs less than a penny a day to operate in California. (A penny-and-a-half in [https://www.cbs8.com/article/money/amped/san-diego-has-the-highest-electricity-rates-in-the-country/509-b33c2aa1-5414-431d-a060-273059f1e0da San Diego].)

With a litter closet, the only time you will ever smell or even see your litter box is when you clean it. With an automated litter box (which we can provide), a single litter closet can usually be used by multiple cats—even ones that haven’t liked to share before.

For more, see [[Litter Closet]] to learn more about how they work to eliminate litter box odor in your home.

===[[Bowl Basin]]===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Video: Bowl Basin]]These small alcoves keeps your water bowl out of the way and always full, thanks to a water supply line with an automatic shut-off valve. (Should this valve fail, there are other safeguards built in to prevent flooding.)

These [[Bowl Basin|bowl basins]] work with a cat fountain we will provide for your use, but if you want to use your own instead, most bowls with a reservoir can be adapted to work with it (which we will happily do for you).

These basins also have an ideal size and location, which is more important to cats than many people realize.

For more, see [[Bowl Basin]] to find out how one can significantly improve the health and happiness of your cat.

===[[Cat Loft]]===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Video: Cat Loft]][[Cat Loft|Cat lofts]] are finished alcoves over closets that provide extra storage and are also the perfect height and location for a quiet living space for cats. Your cats can access these lofts via strategically placed shelves and platforms, which provide a path that integrates naturally into your home.

Cats have an instinctual drive to seek out high perches from which they can observe their surroundings. Also, to feel safe, cats need a secure, reliable place to which they can retreat when they feel threatened. Cats experience anxiety when they lack either of these basic needs, which are especially difficult to provide in a small home, but a cat loft satisfies both. Interestingly enough, research suggests that the overall size of an indoor living space does not matter much to cats, but having access to higher elevations within that space matters deeply. In short, cats experience significantly less anxiety in tiny rooms with accessible high platforms than in large rooms where they are stuck on the floor.

By providing a secure retreat for your cat with a cat loft, you will enjoy the benefits of living with a cat with less anxiety. If you want to spoil your cats rotten, you could turn the entire loft into a luxury feline apartment, which you can decorate and fill with toys and cat-sized furniture. However, you don’t need to use the entire space for cats: You can provide a generous living area for multiple cats and still have plenty of room left over for storage.

For more, see [[Cat Loft]].

===[[Scratch Station]]===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Video: Scratch Station]]Cats also have an instinctual need to scratch—it is necessary to maintain the health of their claws, plus scratching relieves anxiety and boredom.

[[Scratch Station|Scratch stations]] provide a consistent, safe place your cats can rely on to take care of this need whenever the urge arises. Each station has a universal scratch pad holder that works with any size of cardboard pad and holds them at the ideal position for most cats to get the most out of scratching.

The scratch station is located inside the litter closet, which lets cats clean their claws immediately after using the litter box rather than track dirty paws around the house. This location also keeps ugly scratch pads out of sight, plus it will keep shredded cardboard and catnip flakes contained to further help keep your home tidy.

For more, see [[Scratch Station]].

===[[Catwalk Cove Light]]===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Photo: Catwalk Cove Light]]This is a pair of two long, narrow, decorative panels of solid hardwood that are mounted high on two of the walls of each apartment. The tops of the panels have angled channels that allow LED light strips to be installed to turn them into giant, customizable light fixtures. The panels can also display small décor items like art objects or collectibles, with the light providing ideal illumination. However, those with cats will want to keep them clear, as they provide pathways to access and travel between the cat loft and the other elevated feline living spaces.

For more, see [[Catwalk Cove Light]].

===Cat Tunnels with Brushes===
[[File:Gray.png|thumb|right|Photo: Cat Tunnels with Brushes]]Each litter closet is accessed via a decoratively-trimmed archway tunnel that is lined with a rubber brush, so your cats automatically groom themselves every time they go in and out.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much this brush reduces the amount of loose cat hair in the home. With multiple cats in the household, you’ll see a big difference immediately.

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2025-09-26T18:01:32Z

Chris:

* Homes That Heal
** Haven House|Haven House
** Haven House|      • About the Home
** Haven House Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Cloud Nine Studios|Cloud Nine Studios
** Cloud Nine Studios|      • About the Apartments
** Cloud Nine Studios Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Info for Non-Profits|      • Info for Non-Profits
* Trauma-Informed Design
** Trauma-Informed Design|Overview
** Safety & Security|      • Safety & Security
** Healthy Habits & Harmony|      • Healthy Habits & Harmony
** Choice, Comfort, & Privacy|      • Choice, Comfort, & Privacy
** Nature & Beauty|      • Nature & Beauty
** Therapeutic Location|      • Therapeutic Location
* Therapeutic Artwork
** Therapeutic Artwork|Overview
** Curated Spaces|      • Curated Spaces
** Décor Library|      • Décor Library
** Digital Art Displays|      • Digital Art Displays
** Healing High Art|      • Healing High Art
** Artist Connections|      • Artist Connections
** Journey Gallery|      • Journey Gallery
** Ideal Self-Portraits|      • Ideal Self-Portraits
** Recovery Pathway|      • Recovery Pathway
** Lunar Beacon|      • Lunar Beacon

* Animal Support
** Animal-Supportive Homes|Animal-Supportive Homes
** Animal-Supportive Homes|      • Overview
** HEART for Healing|      • HEART for Healing
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|Animal-Supportive Architecture
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Overview
** Animal-Supportive Architecture#Concepts_in_Production|      • Concepts in Production
** Litter Closet|              ◦ Litter Closet
** Cat Loft|              ◦ Cat Loft
** Bowl Basin|              ◦ Bowl Basin
** Sanctuary Gate|              ◦ Sanctuary Gate
** Scratch Station|              ◦ Scratch Station
** Universal Scratch Pad Holder|              ◦ Universal Scratch Pad Holder
** Sensory Landmark|              ◦ Sensory Landmark
** Catwalk Cove Light|              ◦ Catwalk Cove Light
** Lowell Closet|              ◦ Lowell Closet
** Design Principles for Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Design Principles
** Plan to Promote Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Promotional Plan
** Attitudes Toward Animals|      • Attitudes Toward Animals
* About
** About the Project|About the Project
** BASH|About BASH
** About Foster Love|About Foster Love
** Special Thanks|Special Thanks
** Contact Us|Contact Us
<!--
<!-- * ———
<!-- * Cloud Nine Site
<!-- ** Cloud Nine Home Page|Cloud Nine Home Page
<!-- ** Info for Prospective Residents|Info for Prospective Residents
<!-- ** 15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios|      • 15 Reasons to Live Here
<!-- ** Reasons Not to Live Here|      • 10 Reasons Not to Live Here
<!-- ** Furnishings|      • Furnishings
<!-- ** Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|      • Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers
<!-- ** Site Policies and Rules|      • Site Policies and Rules
<!-- ** Our Promises to Each Other|      • Our Promises to Each Other
<!-- ** Rental Information#Pricing & Availability|      • Pricing & Availability
<!-- ** Rental Information#Apply to Rent|      • Apply to Rent
<!-- ** Info for Current Residents|Info for Current Residents
<!-- ** Local Area Guide|Local Area Guide
<!-- * Old
<!-- ** About the Project (LC-OLD)|About the Project (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Highgate (LC-OLD)|Highgate (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** The Quarters (LC-OLD)|The Quarters (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Highgate + Quarters (LC-OLD)|Highgate + Quarters (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Furnishings (LC-OLD)|Furnishings (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Special Features for Cats (LC-OLD)|Special Features for Cats (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Free Benefits for Cats (LC-OLD)|Free Benefits for Cats (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Info for Prospective Residents (LC-OLD)|Info for Prospective Residents (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Site Policies and Rules (LC-OLD)|Site Policies and Rules (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Resident Handbook (LC-OLD)|Resident Handbook (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Rental Information (LC-OLD)|Rental Information (LC-OLD)
<!-- ** Railscoting|      • Railscoting
<!-- ** Catio Lounge|      • Catio Lounge
<!-- ** Lowell Closet|      • Lowell Closet
<!-- ** Grooming Archways|              ◦ Grooming Archways
<!-- ** The Pack|The Pack
<!-- ** FAQs|FAQs
<!-- ** About the Author|About the Author
<!-- ** Contact
<!-- ** Rental Information|Rental Inquiries
<!-- ** Rental Information#Pricing & Availability|      • Pricing & Availability
<!-- ** Rental Information#Apply to Rent|      • Apply to Rent
<!-- ** Contact Us|Contact Us
<!-- ** Contact Us#Current Tenants|      • Current Tenants
<!-- ** Contact Us#Anyone Else|      • Anyone Else
<!-- ** Therapeutic Location (OLD)|Therapeutic Location (OLD)

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2025-09-26T18:00:37Z

Chris:

* Homes That Heal
** Haven House|Haven House
** Haven House|      • About the Home
** Haven House Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Cloud Nine Studios|Cloud Nine Studios
** Cloud Nine Studios|      • About the Apartments
** Cloud Nine Studios Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Info for Non-Profits|      • Info for Non-Profits
* Trauma-Informed Design
** Trauma-Informed Design|Overview
** Safety & Security|      • Safety & Security
** Healthy Habits & Harmony|      • Healthy Habits & Harmony
** Choice, Comfort, & Privacy|      • Choice, Comfort, & Privacy
** Nature & Beauty|      • Nature & Beauty
** Therapeutic Location|      • Therapeutic Location
* Therapeutic Artwork
** Therapeutic Artwork|Overview
** Curated Spaces|      • Curated Spaces
** Décor Library|      • Décor Library
** Digital Art Displays|      • Digital Art Displays
** Healing High Art|      • Healing High Art
** Artist Connections|      • Artist Connections
** Journey Gallery|      • Journey Gallery
** Ideal Self-Portraits|      • Ideal Self-Portraits
** Recovery Pathway|      • Recovery Pathway
** Lunar Beacon|      • Lunar Beacon

* Animal Support
** Animal-Supportive Homes|Animal-Supportive Homes
** Animal-Supportive Homes|      • Overview
** HEART for Healing|      • HEART for Healing
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|Animal-Supportive Architecture
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Overview
** Animal-Supportive Architecture#Concepts_in_Production|      • Concepts in Production
** Litter Closet|              ◦ Litter Closet
** Cat Loft|              ◦ Cat Loft
** Bowl Basin|              ◦ Bowl Basin
** Sanctuary Gate|              ◦ Sanctuary Gate
** Scratch Station|              ◦ Scratch Station
** Universal Scratch Pad Holder|              ◦ Universal Scratch Pad Holder
** Sensory Landmark|              ◦ Sensory Landmark
** Catwalk Cove Light|              ◦ Catwalk Cove Light
** Lowell Closet|              ◦ Lowell Closet
** Design Principles for Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Design Principles
** Plan to Promote Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Promotional Plan
** Attitudes Toward Animals|      • Attitudes Toward Animals
* About
** About the Project|About the Project
** BASH|About BASH
** About Foster Love|About Foster Love
** Special Thanks|Special Thanks
** Contact Us|Contact Us

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2025-09-26T17:59:35Z

Chris:

* Homes That Heal
** Haven House|Haven House
** Haven House|      • About the Home
** Haven House Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Cloud Nine Studios|Cloud Nine Studios
** Cloud Nine Studios|      • About the Apartments
** Cloud Nine Studios Tours & Inquiries|      • Tours & Inquiries
** Info for Non-Profits|      • Info for Non-Profits
* Trauma-Informed Design
** Trauma-Informed Design|Overview
** Safety & Security|      • Safety & Security
** Healthy Habits & Harmony|      • Healthy Habits & Harmony
** Choice, Comfort, & Privacy|      • Choice, Comfort, & Privacy
** Nature & Beauty|      • Nature & Beauty
** Therapeutic Location|      • Therapeutic Location
* Therapeutic Artwork
** Therapeutic Artwork|Overview
** Curated Spaces|      • Curated Spaces
** Décor Library|      • Décor Library
** Digital Art Displays|      • Digital Art Displays
** Healing High Art|      • Healing High Art
** Artist Connections|      • Artist Connections
** Journey Gallery|      • Journey Gallery
** Ideal Self-Portraits|      • Ideal Self-Portraits
** Recovery Pathway|      • Recovery Pathway
** Lunar Beacon|      • Lunar Beacon

* Animal Support
** Animal-Supportive Homes|Animal-Supportive Homes
** Animal-Supportive Homes|      • Overview
** HEART for Healing|      • HEART for Healing
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|Animal-Supportive Architecture
** Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Overview
** Animal-Supportive Architecture#Concepts_in_Production|      • Concepts in Production
** Litter Closet|              ◦ Litter Closet
** Cat Loft|              ◦ Cat Loft
** Bowl Basin|              ◦ Bowl Basin
** Sanctuary Gate|              ◦ Sanctuary Gate
** Scratch Station|              ◦ Scratch Station
** Universal Scratch Pad Holder|              ◦ Universal Scratch Pad Holder
** Sensory Landmark|              ◦ Sensory Landmark
** Catwalk Cove Light|              ◦ Catwalk Cove Light
** Lowell Closet|              ◦ Lowell Closet
** Design Principles for Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Design Principles
** Plan to Promote Animal-Supportive Architecture|      • Promotional Plan
** Attitudes Toward Animals|      • Attitudes Toward Animals
* About
** About the Project|About the Project
** BASH|About BASH
** About Foster Love|About Foster Love
** Special Thanks|Special Thanks
** Contact Us|Contact Us

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T22:45:42Z

Chris: /* 1. You don’t fit the mission criteria. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== 1. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.'''

As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== 2. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== 3. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== 4. You hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== 5. You love too many cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== 6. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== 7. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== 8. The rent is too high. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

An overwhelming number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it—even if priced to just cover operating expenses—and that feels terrible.

I’m sorry I was not able to make it more affordable, and I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.

I’m working on a solution.
Specifically, I am actively seeking alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that more people with PTSD can live here to help them heal.

=== FAQs? ===

(Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.)

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive—especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

Building new affordable housing seemed mathematically impossible at a small scale for someone pathologically incapable of cutting corners on construction quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.
So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do exactly this (that’s why I published everything), because millions could benefit from it.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T22:45:01Z

Chris: /* 5. You have more than three cats. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== 1. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== 2. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== 3. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== 4. You hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== 5. You love too many cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== 6. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== 7. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== 8. The rent is too high. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

An overwhelming number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it—even if priced to just cover operating expenses—and that feels terrible.

I’m sorry I was not able to make it more affordable, and I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.

I’m working on a solution.
Specifically, I am actively seeking alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that more people with PTSD can live here to help them heal.

=== FAQs? ===

(Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.)

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive—especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

Building new affordable housing seemed mathematically impossible at a small scale for someone pathologically incapable of cutting corners on construction quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.
So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do exactly this (that’s why I published everything), because millions could benefit from it.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T22:44:46Z

Chris: /* 4. You are afraid of or hate cats. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== 1. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== 2. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== 3. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== 4. You hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== 5. You have more than three cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== 6. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== 7. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== 8. The rent is too high. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

An overwhelming number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it—even if priced to just cover operating expenses—and that feels terrible.

I’m sorry I was not able to make it more affordable, and I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.

I’m working on a solution.
Specifically, I am actively seeking alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that more people with PTSD can live here to help them heal.

=== FAQs? ===

(Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.)

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive—especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

Building new affordable housing seemed mathematically impossible at a small scale for someone pathologically incapable of cutting corners on construction quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.
So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do exactly this (that’s why I published everything), because millions could benefit from it.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T22:44:30Z

Chris:

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== 1. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== 2. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== 3. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== 4. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== 5. You have more than three cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== 6. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== 7. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== 8. The rent is too high. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

An overwhelming number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it—even if priced to just cover operating expenses—and that feels terrible.

I’m sorry I was not able to make it more affordable, and I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.

I’m working on a solution.
Specifically, I am actively seeking alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that more people with PTSD can live here to help them heal.

=== FAQs? ===

(Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.)

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive—especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

Building new affordable housing seemed mathematically impossible at a small scale for someone pathologically incapable of cutting corners on construction quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.
So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do exactly this (that’s why I published everything), because millions could benefit from it.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T22:42:31Z

Chris: /* X. You can’t afford it. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== X. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

An overwhelming number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it—even if priced to just cover operating expenses—and that feels terrible.

I’m sorry I was not able to make it more affordable, and I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.

I’m working on a solution.
Specifically, I am actively seeking alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that more people with PTSD can live here to help them heal.

=== FAQs? ===

(Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.)

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive—especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

Building new affordable housing seemed mathematically impossible at a small scale for someone pathologically incapable of cutting corners on construction quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.
So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do exactly this (that’s why I published everything), because millions could benefit from it.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T21:47:04Z

Chris:

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.


=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. Note: If Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===
A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== X. You have a dog. ===
This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T21:43:36Z

Chris: /* X. You’re not ready to live on your own. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===

A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== X. You have a dog. ===

This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You’re not ready to live near others. ===
=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T21:41:14Z

Chris: /* X. You have more than three cats. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===

A great deal of scientific research went into the design of these homes, and based on that research, the living space is properly sized for one adult human and two cats, or three if they get along well. In the interest of the well-being of both the people and animals who live here, if you have four or more cats, then unfortunately you would need a larger home.

=== X. You have a dog. ===

This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You’re not ready to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You’re not ready to live near others. ===
=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T20:30:58Z

Chris: /* X. You have a dog. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===

=== X. You have a dog. ===

This is a facility purpose-built for women with PTSD and their cats. A single dog barking could disrupt the sleep of all nine residents, possibly retraumatizing some of them, and the mere scent of a dog on the premises could raise the stress levels of every cat in this compact complex.
As your property manager, I want to assure you that this has nothing to do with my personal preferences—I love dogs and am heavily allergic to cats—but at Cloud Nine Studios, even a single dog would cause too much harm to too many people and animals to allow them.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You’re not ready to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You’re not ready to live near others. ===
=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T20:19:49Z

Chris: /* X. You are afraid of or hate cats. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You have more than three cats. ===

=== X. You have a dog. ===

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You’re not ready to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You’re not ready to live near others. ===
=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T20:18:52Z

Chris:

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You’re not ready to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You’re not ready to live near others. ===
=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T20:17:14Z

Chris: /* X. You’re not serious about healing. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T20:16:49Z

Chris: /* X. You’re not committed to healing. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T19:45:15Z

Chris: /* X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T19:43:38Z

Chris:

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T19:41:34Z

Chris: /* X. You have behavioral disorders that would hinder the healing of others. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but vanishingly few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is a but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have disruptive behavioral disorders. ===
that would hinder the healing of others
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

Cloud Nine Home Page

2025-08-13T19:40:49Z

Chris: /* A Quiet Place to Thrive */

__NOTOC__
===A Quiet Place to Thrive===

Cloud Nine Studios is a brand new San Diego apartment complex designed specifically to help women with PTSD recover from serious trauma.

Each studio is sized for a single individual but has most of the features of a larger home.

Although these apartments are small, they have several special features that help residents take care of up to three cats.

PLEASE NOTE: In the future, these apartments will be accessible only through women’s support organizations and mental health professionals.

However, for a limited time, they are available to the public. 

PTSD is not a requirement, as we need baseline feedback data from women without PTSD as well, but all residents must be quiet and respectful to their neighbors to preserve an effective healing environment.

If you think you might be interested, please read...

[[15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios]]

...and...

[[10 Reasons Not to Live at Cloud Nine Studios]]

...for a brief overview.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T19:35:39Z

Chris: /* X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but vanishingly few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is a but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed exclusively for women <s>with PTSD</s> who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a very limited resource away from someone who needs it.

'''IMPORTANT: For a limited time, Cloud Nine is welcoming women without PTSD as well.''' As this is a brand new project, we need baseline feedback data from women who do not have PTSD, so for a limited time, women without PTSD may also live here, provided they agree to provide very simple feedback about their experience living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have behavioral disorders that would hinder the healing of others. ===
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T19:00:05Z

Chris: /* X. You lead a loud lifestyle. */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but vanishingly few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is a but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed especially for women with PTSD who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a home away from someone who could benefit significantly more than you by living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, play the drums, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have behavioral disorders that would hinder the healing of others. ===
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

Reasons Not to Live Here

2025-08-13T18:59:01Z

Chris: /* Contraindications */

Women are more likely than men to experience specific types of trauma that carry a higher risk for PTSD, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse. In America, at least 9 million women meet the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD, and worldwide that number is in the hundreds of millions.

Millions of women could benefit from living at Cloud Nine Studios, but vanishingly few places like it exist. On top of that, Cloud Nine is tiny: With only nine apartments, it is a but a drop in an ocean-sized problem.

This makes Cloud Nine Studios a scarce resource, and our mission goal is to provide these homes to the people who can benefit the most from living there, not maximize revenue by just renting to anyone who can afford them.

To that end, we ask you to carefully read through this list to see if there are any reasons why Cloud Nine Studios might not be the right home for you.



=== X. You don’t fit the mission criteria. ===
These apartments were designed especially for women with PTSD who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats. If this does not describe you, then unfortunately you would be taking a home away from someone who could benefit significantly more than you by living here.

=== X. You’re not sober. ===
If you have an active addiction or a chemical dependence on any mind-altering substance, these homes are not designed for you. Fortunately, there are numerous other facilities that specialize in helping you manage and overcome substance abuse so that you could be ready to live here in the future.

=== X. You lead a loud lifestyle. ===
If you blast music at max volume, like to host lively parties, or can’t help but shout at the television or while playing games with friends online, then this is not the place for you. Cloud Nine Studios has a noise limit policy that is strictly enforced to ensure all residents have the peace they need to heal.

=== X. You are afraid of or hate cats. ===
If you just don’t like cats or have a non-life-threatening allergy to them, you should be fine. However, if you cannot stand the sight of cats, this would not be an ideal place for you, because many residents will have them and you will likely see some in their front windows when coming home. However, if Apartment #4 is available, that unit can be reached without passing by or even seeing any other apartments.

=== X. You need a lot of space / have a lot of large belongings. ===
These homes are very small and designed to provide almost everything you need, but there is not a lot of extra space or room for large items.

=== X. You can’t afford it. ===
If you are an otherwise ideal candidate who would greatly benefit from living here, but just can’t afford it: I’m sorry. It’s difficult to convey just how sorry I am.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all.
An enormous number of the people who could benefit most from this type of housing won’t be able to afford it, and that makes me feel terrible.

I wanted to make it more affordable.

Yes, all the extravagant features did raise the total costs somewhat, but building ''anything'' in San Diego is expensive.
After the fixed costs, like land, taxes, permits, inspections, design, architecture, engineering, legal, insurance, financing, site prep, and minimum material costs, even building a set of plain, empty rooms would have been expensive.
Especially considering how much material and labor costs skyrocketed over the last 5 years of this project.

So, since I couldn’t make anything truly affordable, I decided instead to make something extraordinary at a reasonable price. ([[Special Thanks|Thanks]] to the many, many people who contributed to this project.)

Big builders with their much larger economies of scale could steal all my R&D, copy this strategy, and execute it more affordably—and I hope they do, because millions could benefit from it.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

years since I began working on this as my Covid project.

I’m sorry I even have to charge for this at all. I’d provide housing for free if I could.

I set out to create a new type of housing that would benefit society, and I ended up making a type of housing that I don’t think people should have to pay for.

Because of all the specific therapeutic benefits of this place, it’s sort of like I set out to build a house and ended up building an MRI machine. It’s this neat device that could help a lot of people heal, but it’s terribly expensive to run and I am wholly unqualified to operate it, even though I designed and built it.

Show chart of costs, illustrating how land, fees, and minimum construction costs would have made even the most modest homes expensive.

Also refused to cut corners on quality, especially when it comes to health and safety.

All this to say: I’m working on it. Specifically, I am looking for alternative sources of funding to either partially or wholly subsidize the rent so that affordability is no longer a

=== X. You’re not able to live on your own. ===
If you have a severe physical impairment or mental illness that makes it unsafe to live on your own, then you should instead be considering options like inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization and a staffed group housing facility.

=== X. You have behavioral disorders that would hinder the healing of others. ===
Cluster B Personality Disorders, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Impulse control disorders, like Intermittent Explosive Disorder

=== X. You’re not serious about healing. ===
=== X. You’re not committed to healing. ===
The therapeutic effects of Cloud Nine Studios are not designed to heal you or take the place of therapy, but rather to help you heal and make therapy more effective.

Healing from trauma doesn’t just happen; it requires active engagement from the individual, including self-reflection, practicing new skills, and applying learned techniques.

Likewise, therapy is not a quick fix or a magic cure. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and commitment to work.

Healing is an uncomfortable process. Therapy takes effort to work.

Making a good faith effort.
Actively participating in some form of therapy in good faith.

Caveat: This is a tricky one, possibly delete, because Cloud Nine Studios is specifically designed to help overcome hopelessness and get people to become receptive to therapy again after giving up.
This and most of the list is probably best evaluated by mental health professionals.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:56:09Z

Chris:

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. San Diego is amazingly therapeutic. ===

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide in nearly all measurable ways, including individual well-being, community well-being, and quality of life. This means that people coming from other areas are extremely likely to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Often considered the city with the most consistently pleasant weather in the continental U.S. It boasts a mild, Mediterranean climate with comfortable temperatures year-round, low humidity, and, by many measurements, the largest number of perfect-weather days per year.
San Diego has a more pleasant climate than >99% of the rest of the world, which means that almost everyone coming from other areas will be more comfortable in San Diego, often significantly so. Furthermore, while cities already typically have less pollen than rural areas, San Diego has the one of the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf lowest pollen counts] of the largest cities in the US, making it easier to breathe, sleep, relax, and exercise.

Unpleasant weather or difficulty breathing isn’t just inconvenient; for those recovering from trauma, personal discomfort that cannot be alleviated is a constant drain on mental resources and can lead to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Conversely, the effortless personal comfort that many will feel simply by living in this area will boost the efficacy of therapy through decreased distractions, increased energy levels, elevated moods, and an increased sense of self-efficacy.

The ideal climate also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable. Plus, in most other places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world. This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

San Diego’s natural beauty is a defining characteristic of the city, which is best known for its coastline of over 70 miles of dramatic bluffs, hidden coves, and world-class beaches.
Close to home, you can kayak alongside sea lions at La Jolla Cove, spot migrating gray whales from the cliffs of Point Loma, or explore the kelp forests and tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument.
With just an hour’s drive, though, you could also visit the misty, pine-covered peaks of the Cuyamaca Mountains and Cleveland National Forest or the vast, arid expanse of the Anza-Borrego Desert.
This is a rare combination of options for any single metro area—and part of the reason San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse county] in America, giving you an abundance of choices of ways to connect with nature.

Furthermore, although hard to quantify by any single study, San Diego is consistently rated as one of [https://happy-city-index.com/ happiest] and [https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-diego-named-friendliest-city-in-usa-11717242 friendliest] cities. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage regularly against California—they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but those are a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger effort to create a new housing model that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, please read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:55:30Z

Chris:

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. (Which is amazing.) ===

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide in nearly all measurable ways, including individual well-being, community well-being, and quality of life. This means that people coming from other areas are extremely likely to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Often considered the city with the most consistently pleasant weather in the continental U.S. It boasts a mild, Mediterranean climate with comfortable temperatures year-round, low humidity, and, by many measurements, the largest number of perfect-weather days per year.
San Diego has a more pleasant climate than >99% of the rest of the world, which means that almost everyone coming from other areas will be more comfortable in San Diego, often significantly so. Furthermore, while cities already typically have less pollen than rural areas, San Diego has the one of the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf lowest pollen counts] of the largest cities in the US, making it easier to breathe, sleep, relax, and exercise.

Unpleasant weather or difficulty breathing isn’t just inconvenient; for those recovering from trauma, personal discomfort that cannot be alleviated is a constant drain on mental resources and can lead to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Conversely, the effortless personal comfort that many will feel simply by living in this area will boost the efficacy of therapy through decreased distractions, increased energy levels, elevated moods, and an increased sense of self-efficacy.

The ideal climate also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable. Plus, in most other places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world. This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

San Diego’s natural beauty is a defining characteristic of the city, which is best known for its coastline of over 70 miles of dramatic bluffs, hidden coves, and world-class beaches.
Close to home, you can kayak alongside sea lions at La Jolla Cove, spot migrating gray whales from the cliffs of Point Loma, or explore the kelp forests and tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument.
With just an hour’s drive, though, you could also visit the misty, pine-covered peaks of the Cuyamaca Mountains and Cleveland National Forest or the vast, arid expanse of the Anza-Borrego Desert.
This is a rare combination of options for any single metro area—and part of the reason San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse county] in America, giving you an abundance of choices of ways to connect with nature.

Furthermore, although hard to quantify by any single study, San Diego is consistently rated as one of [https://happy-city-index.com/ happiest] and [https://www.travelandleisure.com/san-diego-named-friendliest-city-in-usa-11717242 friendliest] cities. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage regularly against California—they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but those are a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger effort to create a new housing model that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, please read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:42:31Z

Chris:

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger effort to create a new housing model that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, please read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:41:39Z

Chris: /* 15. All profits go to charity. */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger effort to create a new housing model that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:41:03Z

Chris: /* 14. We won’t steal your money. */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t charge more than the cost for repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:40:10Z

Chris: /* 14. We won’t steal your money. */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real and right for you before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:37:56Z

Chris: /* 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all but one of the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:35:35Z

Chris: /* 12. It’s also built for cats... */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats. ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:35:21Z

Chris: /* 13. ...But it’s not a crazy cat house. */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats... ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. It’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:34:57Z

Chris: /* 12. It’s also built for cats... */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats... ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, because while these homes were specifically built for cats and the people who love them, there’s no need to panic because...

=== 13. ...But it’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:33:16Z

Chris: /* 12. It’s also built for cats... */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats... ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, while these homes were specifically built for cats and people who love them, there’s no need to panic...

=== 13. ...But it’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.

15 Reasons to Live at Cloud Nine Studios

2025-08-13T18:32:23Z

Chris: /* 12. It’s also built for cats... */

What sets an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios apart? Here are 15 reasons you might want to live in one:

=== 1. It’s brand new. ===
Everything in the apartment is brand new, so problems should be rare. More significantly, the entire building is new. Cloud Nine was completed in 2025, whereas most homes in the area were built 30–70 years ago. Homes built in the 50s, 60s, and 70s typically have poor utility, outdated infrastructure, and safety problems, while those built in the 80s and 90s are infamous for poor build quality. Building codes, materials, and techniques have all advanced considerably since then, solving countless problems with older homes.

Speaking of building codes...

=== 2. It’s well-built. ===
Even though it is a small complex, Cloud Nine was built according to the commercial building code—the same code that a skyscraper downtown would need to follow—which means a far higher level of scrutiny and more demanding requirements across all aspects of construction.

What’s more, this was not a cookie-cutter box thrown together as fast as possible by the lowest bidder. Rather, this was a passion project built by a team of compulsively perfectionist craftsmen who derive pride, if not their identity, from the quality of their work. We took years making sure thousands of custom details were done right rather than cutting corners to deliver mediocrity quickly.

Why so many custom details? For starters...

=== 3. It’s built for just one person. ===
People who want to live by themselves have limited options, each with severe drawbacks. Homes with nice amenities are typically huge and expensive; meanwhile, small homes usually have stripped-down features, while still wasting already limited space and resources on amenities sized for multiple people. The apartments Cloud Nine Studios, on the other hand, are each designed for a single individual but still have most of the features of a large home. These are highly-engineered environments where every cubic inch has been carefully considered to maximize functionality and therapeutic benefit.

Why the focus on therapeutic benefits?

=== 4. It’s built for women with PTSD. ===
Now at the heart of the matter, the primary purpose of Cloud Nine Studios is to provide an ideal environment to help women recover from serious trauma. These homes were built from the ground up to take care of a person and make her feel better, with the psychological impact of every last decision carefully considered.

Everywhere you look are features that follow the principles of trauma-informed design to make residents feel safe and secure, make sure they’re comfortable, and encourage healthy habits to help the women who live there heal.

To that end...

=== 5. It’s great for sleep. ===

For those living with PTSD, simply making it through the day is draining, and processing trauma requires even more energy on top of that. Energy and willpower are restored through sleep, so when people get inadequate sleep, they are not able to heal effectively because participating in therapy, regulating their feelings, and maintaining other healthy habits all require resources that were depleted before the day even began. That is why the most important of the healthy habits promoted at Cloud Nine Studios is to help residents get regular, high-quality sleep.

To start, we implemented extensive sound controls inside, outside, and between each apartment, from double-paned windows and extra-thick walls with offset studs and extra insulation to quieter doorbells and industrial hydraulic dampeners to make the convertible desk-beds close softly.
All that soundproofing also eliminates the most common cause of conflict between residents of apartment complexes—noise disturbance—helping to create a quiet, harmonious environment free of sleep-disrupting stress.

For light control, all windows have light-screening as well as blackout shades, and every light fixture is not only dimmable, but they also automatically change to a warm golden color as they are dimmed, which feels more comfortable and avoids the bright, cool light that signals the brain to stay awake.

The entire environment is designed to help residents relax.
Some of these measures are direct, like providing extremely quiet HVAC systems and high-quality mattresses and bedding.
Others are less so, like analyzing the psychological effects of various colors of hardwood or orientations of grout lines on the kitchen backsplash and choosing the options that calm the mind rather than agitate it.

All of these efforts combine to provide an environment where residents can consistently get the quality of sleep they need to heal from trauma, with little worry of it being interrupted because...

=== 6. The neighborhood is serene. ===
A lot of places near SDSU can get pretty loud and wild, but not here. The neighbors nearby are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare and relatively quiet. Most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This location is extremely quiet. In fact, although rare to find in a location this central, there is essentially no street noise here.

This is a very [[Local Area Guide#Neighborhood|safe, quiet neighborhood]] of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. Past this location there are only two courts, so sometimes hours can pass without cars driving by, and when they do, they’re usually traveling very slowly. Furthermore, the apartments are well over 100 feet from the street—some are closer to double that—and with two large fences and another home blocking the sound, plus the sound of the waterfall feature, it’s practically impossible to hear anything from the street while outside, let alone inside. If you are living with PTSD and have not yet experienced such an serene environment, you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stress relieved just by living in a place free of chaotic sensory input.

I've lived here for over 25 years, and this is the best area of a great neighborhood in an incredible city, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

In fact, speaking of that incredible city...

=== 7. It’s in San Diego. ===

If you read through enough of this site, you’ll see that you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate of the healing power of therapy, which is well-supported by science. However, one should also not underestimate the healing power of San Diego, which is also well-supported by science.

San Diego earns its nickname of “America’s Finest City” by consistently ranking at or near the top of cities nationally and worldwide, in nearly all measurable ways. This means that if you are visiting from another area, you’re nearly statistically guaranteed to experience significant improvements in several aspects of life merely by being in San Diego, and many of these improvements directly contribute to trauma recovery.

Let’s start with the most obvious: When you come to San Diego, there’s a >99% chance the climate is nicer than wherever you came from.
In most places, inclement weather regularly depresses mood and prevents outdoor activities, causing lower levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
On the other hand, San Diego is famous for its consistently mild, sunny, and temperate climate, often cited as one of the best in the world.
This allows for an unparalleled year-round outdoor lifestyle, with residents enjoying beaches, hiking, biking, and surfing virtually every day. The habits doctors recommend to fight depression essentially describe a stereotypical San Diego lifestyle.

Locals are used to so many aspects of life being ideal here, but visitors will be continually surprised as they discover yet one more thing that’s better in in San Diego.
Why is the produce at the farmers' markets better than anything I’ve tasted?
All that perfect weather also makes it easier to grow food, and San Diego County has [https://www.rcdsandiego.org/farming-ranching more small farms and more organic producers] than any other county in America. More delicious fruit and vegetables makes eating healthy easier and more enjoyable.
Why is it so much easier to breathe here? San Diego has the [https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/aafa-2025-allergy-capitals-report.pdf 4th-lowest pollen counts] of the 100 largest cities in the US, making it easier to sleep, relax, and exercise.
Why are there so many different animals around?
San Diego County is the [https://www.kpbs.org/news/2024/11/01/nature-san-diego-americas-wildest-city most biologically diverse] county in America, leading to more frequent opportunities to connect with nature.

San Diego consistently ranks highly among measures of happiness, quality of life, and community well-being. As someone who has lived here most of his life, this is unsurprising because:

* When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
* When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
* When bad things are happening in California, it’s almost never very bad in San Diego.

Even those who rage daily against California, they’re complaining about Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—never San Diego.
The largest problems in San Diego are related to high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

And if you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego, it helps even more to be in a good spot. Fortunately...

=== 8. The location is excellent. ===
Cloud Nine is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise—largely due to being nestled in a quiet canyon, which blocks both wind and sound from surrounding areas. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

<ul>
<li>I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.</li>
<li>I-805 is the very next exit from there.</li>
<li> I-163 is only two miles past that.</li>
</ul>

Everything you need daily is only a few minutes away, and most major San Diego attractions are 20 minutes away or less. Plus, during typical travel from this [[Location_Details|location]], traffic is normally going in the other direction. Plus, the microclimate in the immediate area is just almost perfectly ideal, with consistently low humidity and comfortable temperatures.


These are some of the reasons why I, the property manager, have lived here for over 25 years. Speaking of which...

=== 9. Management is close by. ===
A large and ever-increasing number of homes in San Diego are owned by hedge funds and investment groups, many of which provide infamously bad service and are difficult to contact.

But at Cloud Nine Studios, the landlord lives 30 seconds away. If you need anything, I’m almost always right there because I work long hours from home and rarely travel, so it’s quick and easy for me to come fix things or help with anything you need.

You probably won’t need much, because...

=== 10. It’s beyond fully furnished. ===
Even at more expensive rentals, “fully furnished” typically includes major furniture only. At Cloud Nine Studios, we provide [[Furnishings|almost everything you need]], so you won’t have to bring much more than what you would bring to a hotel. Furthermore, the furnishings provided are not cheap surplus goods; rather, they were obsessively researched and carefully selected for the space to satisfy numerous design goals.

Plus, if you have a cat, you can get [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|even more]].

=== 11. Cat lovers get extra benefits. ===
If you have a cat, you will get several [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers|free benefits]]: We provide self-cleaning litter boxes, self-filling water fountains, and automatic cat feeders, plus we’ll pay for yearly vet checkups, or even the adoption fee if you want another cat. There is no pet deposit or monthly pet fee. On the contrary, you may be able to earn money by participating in research with your cats. (These are simple activities like taking notes on their behavior or trying out a new scratching toy, and all entirely optional.)

Why all the benefits for cats?

=== 12. It’s also built for cats... ===
Are the apartments at Cloud Nine Studios built for individuals living alone, built for women with PTSD, or built for cats?
All of the above.
More accurately, these studios were designed especially for long-term healing from serious trauma for women who wish to live on their own or with up to three cats.

The most unique aspect of Cloud Nine Studios is the collection of [[Extra Benefits for Cat Lovers#Built-In Cat Features|special features]] built into every home that integrate the living needs of cats into the home to make pets happier, healthier, and easier to care for.
These include some inventions you may not have seen before, like [[Litter_Closet|ventilated enclosures]] that completely eliminate litter box odor, or an [[Bowl_Basin|alcove]] that gives your cat a perpetually full water dish and a safe place to drink, or an elevated [[Cat_Loft|living space]] that can reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety.

Without any of these features for pets, the experience of living in one of these apartments is already intended to be life-changingly positive for women who are recovering from serious trauma. However, if you have a cat whom you love, living in an environment designed around your pet’s needs could change your life in a good way all on its own.

This is because, as opposed to dogs, cats are only semi-domesticated and have fairly rigid instinctual needs. Few people are aware of any of this, so most pet cats live in suboptimal conditions which regularly cause them stress; in fact, several behaviors people interpret as personality quirks are actually the result of varying stressors. However, providing cats an environment where their main stressors are removed and their instinctual needs are taken care of will cause noticeable behavioral improvements in nearly all cats, which leads to a positive feedback loop of better interactions between the pet and their person, and ultimately, a deeper bond.

However, while these homes were specifically built for cats and people who love them, but no need to panic...

=== 13. ...But it’s not a crazy cat house. ===
Don’t worry: These apartments are not full of scratching posts and little kitty tunnels and bridges running everywhere. On the contrary: Nobody would ever guess these homes were designed for animals because all the cat features are either hidden or non-descript, and most are tucked away in inconvenient spaces that weren’t much much use to people anyway.

Furthermore, all those special areas for cats listed above were built with the same materials and techniques used to make operating room floors in hospitals, which means they can easily be completely disinfected. (I have a very serious cat allergy myself, so in the course of managing the property, I’d be the first to know if a place weren’t thoroughly cleaned.)

=== 14. We won’t steal your money. ===
There are a lot of rental scams and shady practices out there, and we want no part of them. We strive to be as fair, ethical, and transparent as possible.

<ul>
<li>We don’t make money on applications. There is no application fee. The only upfront fee is for a background/credit check, which is $31 and all goes to a third party.</li>
<li>We discourage people from casually applying with this novel-length site, including a whole page of [[Reasons Not to Live Here]].</li>
<li>If you want to make sure the place is real before applying, just [[Contact|contact us]] to set up an appointment for a tour.</li>
<li>We don’t charge more rent or require a higher deposit for pets.</li>
<li>We work hard to help you get your entire security deposit back. We don’t make money repairing or replacing anything, and we’d rather spend our time in other ways, so we give you extensive information on how to avoid costly damage.</li>
<li>If you’re great at cleaning and want to avoid a cleaning fee, we’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and we’ll even give you the cleaning supplies. If you do a professional job, you’ll pay no fee.</li>
</ul>

And finally, while we’re on the topic of money...

=== 15. All profits go to charity. ===
These apartments were built as part of larger [[About_the_Project|effort]] to create a [[BASH|new housing model]] that better serve individuals and society. We are trying to keep rent as low as possible and are actively seeking funding to subsidize it. However, if there are any profits, they will go to charities dedicated to trauma recovery, women's causes, or animal welfare, so you can feel a little better about where your rent money is going.

If you’re still interested in an apartment at Cloud Nine Studios at this point, make sure to read [[Reasons Not to Live Here]] next to make sure.

If you have any questions at all, just [[Contact|contact us]]. We’re friendly and we usually reply pretty quickly.