This workshop will be a roundtable discussion with individuals from the Supportive Housing Network of New York (The Network), Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), the Bridge, and RiseBoro Community Partnerships about The Network's Safety & Wellbeing Training Series & Community of Practice (CoP). The initiative emerged from roundtables with staff and tenants from supportive housing agencies in NYC and State, addressing acute needs related to safety and wellbeing of staff and tenants, and challenges in equipping workforce with best practices for de-escalation, trauma-informed support, and harm reduction.

With funding from Helmsley Charitable Trust and an Advisory Committee of staff from member agencies, the Network identified key areas for capacity building: trauma-informed care, de-escalation, crisis prevention, harm reduction, and transformative justice. They developed a model for monthly Zoom trainings and follow-up CoP sessions attended by key staff committed to implementing these best practices.

The roundtable will be moderated by The Network, providing an overview of the Training Series & CoP and facilitating discussion with a trainer from CSH, staff from the Bridge, and a CoP participant from RiseBoro. They will share experiences on implementing learnings, such as post-crisis debriefs, and leadership in applying lessons from the series.

Key Discussion Points:

• Development, facilitation, and participation experiences of the Safety & Wellbeing Training Series and CoP
• Elements for a reproducible model for safer environments in supportive housing
• Importance of equipping staff with skills for safety, wellbeing, and morale
• Benefits of CoP model for cross-agency collaboration and best practices
• Value of staff trainers partnering with program participants for skilled services