Built using trauma-informed design, Chiles House brings affordable housing to the homeless in Portland, Oregon.
Chiles House was developed out of a rallying cry to bring uplifting housing as fast as possible for Portland’s most needy. The five-story, 17,000-square-foot building, completed in less than two years, provides an affordable residence for the growing homeless population in Portland, Oregon. Chiles House was co-developed by Sister City, a real estate design, development and consulting firm in Portland, and Catholic Charities of Oregon, which has a direct pipeline of people slipping into homelessness.
Chiles House was built using trauma-informed design, a concept gaining momentum with architects and interior designers. Trauma-informed design integrates the principles of trauma-informed care into building design with the goal of creating physical spaces that promote safety, well-being and healing. This requires an understanding of how the physical environment affects identity, worth and dignity, and how it promotes empowerment.