This workshop emphasizes a person-centered, respectful and trauma-informed approach to developing safety plans that protect the well-being of both outreach staff and encampment residents. Participants will explore how individualized support, free of stereotypes and stigma, can foster more effective and sustainable outcomes. By examining personal perceptions of homelessness and deepening understanding of the challenges faced by unsheltered individuals, attendees will build the skills needed for more empathetic and informed outreach.
After attending this training, participants will be able to:
- Define homelessness and explain the importance of serving safely—physically and emotionally
- Recognize the evolution of outreach practices and the challenges and impacts of encampments on communities
- Examine the impacts of encampments within neighborhoods
- Move away from stereotypes and stigmatizing language by using strength-based engagement
- Explain the core principles of a trauma-informed approach
- Reframe the definition of homelessness and encampments to emphasize dignity and humanity
- Identify strategies for supporting encampment residents in meaningful ways
- Create a safety plan that includes outreach teams, stakeholders and partners
Course Code
511638