Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers

[Excerpt] Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness is designed to be used by community-based service agencies that work with homeless female veterans in a variety of settings (e.g., emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, transitional and supportive housing programs, outpatient settings). Leaders within these organizations who are looking to improve their effectiveness in engaging the female veterans they serve can use this guide to begin the process of becoming trauma-informed. Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness includes: 1. A user’s guide that offers organizations: Information on the experiences and needs of female veterans, what it means to provide trauma-informed care to this population, and resources for staff training and education. Background information on the Organizational Self- Assessment for Providers Serving Female Veterans (the Self-Assessment). A step-by-step process for using the Self-Assessment to incorporate new practices and institute change. 2. The Organizational Self-Assessment for Providers Serving Female Veterans. The Self-Assessment consists of concrete trauma-informed practices that can be integrated into daily programming within organizations serving female veterans who are homeless. 3. Resource Lists consisting of printed materials, videos, and websites on the following topics: Female Veterans, General Trauma Information, Homelessness and Trauma, Cultural Competence, Trauma-Informed Services, Consumer Involvement, and Self-Care for Service Providers. Community-based organizations can achieve the goal of effectively delivering trauma-informed services if they combine the process and information contained in Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness with training and knowledge of the unique needs of the populations they serve