Choice, Comfort, & Privacy

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 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 taste.

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 people 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

Temperature -- HVAC, but also San Diego has one of the most ideal climates in the world and is naturally comfortable for most people most of the time. most of the year.

light control, both natural light control, dimmable fixtures Lighting throughout the house is recessed and dimmable.

Plus, the tankless water heater never runs out of hot water, meaning A tankless water heater was added so that residents can (take a long, hot shower or draw a full bath/use as much hot water) as they please without impacting any other resident's power to do so.

Privacy

Location is quite private, For noise reduction, security, and privacy, all doors are solid wood and each bedroom door has a heavy-duty deadbolt. Personal storage areas.

insulated from the outside world.

Privacy: Choice of doorbell gives you flexibility, can turn on video camera without letting person know, however, this is all moot because access is controlled. For deliveries, can give person access to outer gate but not the inner one. All windows have both translucent light-filtering and opaque light-blocking options.

In-unit laundry at Cloud Nine, in a unit of this size, nearly unheard of. Without having to bring their clothes out in public.

Striking a Balance

These elements frequently intersect with each other

At odds with harmony At Haven House, increasing choice and comfort needs to be balanced more against harmony

Challenge often lies in finding a Means finding a balance between giving residents more power over their environment without overwhelming them with choice or disturbing anyone else.

Example: A good example that highlights all three are the lights in the double bedrooms. How each person can control their own environment without disturbing the other's comfort or privacy, preserving harmony within a shared environment.

Two laundry areas with different types of machines

Individual HVAC systems in each bedroom let everyone be comfortable and are practically silent.