Prosperemos Juntos

Prosperemos Juntos / Thriving Together is a grant program developed by Methodist Healthcare Ministries to support local communities. WestEast partnered with Prospera Housing Communities and Merced Housing Texas to collect feedback from affordable housing consumers. The team's research was conducted through the lens of Trauma Informed Design (TID).

TID recognizes that individuals with traumatic stress reactions may be found across the spectrum, in multiple-service sectors and socio-economic strata, and without respect to age, gender, race, ethnicity, or geography. Because of this near-universal experience of trauma, and the lack of support networks and services, TID serves to shift the focus of the built environment from merely providing shelter to healing people and restoring communities by promoting dignity and joy in the buildings we occupy.

Together, the team is working to develop a set of strategies for renovating several Merced affordable housing projects. Design strategies will focus on trauma-informed design principles and deep listening of the experiences of residents.