LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Margarita Reyes’ journey to this moment has been anything but easy. 

After leaving an abusive situation, she and her sons faced nights sleeping in their car and extended stays with relatives.

What You Need To Know

  • Flip4Good partnered with the Midnight Mission’s HomeLight Program to create a space that fosters mental health, well-being and recovery

  • The concept of trauma-informed design was a key element in this transitional housing design, with plans to transform more units for families in need

  • Margarita Reyes and her sons are spending their Christmas in a stable home

  • Their transitional apartment uses trauma-informed design, featuring soothing colors and strategic furniture placement to promote safety and healing

The holidays were particularly tough as she struggled to answer her boys’ innocent yet heartbreaking questions about what they’d eat or where they’d sleep. 

“I knocked on a lot of doors,” she said, reflecting on the challenges of finding stability.

But this Christmas represents far more than a festive season — it’s a new beginning. 

Reyes and her children moved into a transitional housing unit designed specifically with their well-being in mind. 

Thanks to the innovative principles of trauma-informed design and the support of the organization Flip4Good, which partnered with the Midnight Mission’s HomeLight Program, the family now has a space that nurtures both safety and healing. 

“The boys were happy when I told them that we had a place to stay for Christmas. They’re gonna be home and they get to eat cooked meals and they were happy,” Reyes said.

Flip4Good, an organization focused on trauma-informed design, transformed the space with intentional choices like soothing colors — pinks, blues, and greens — and furniture arrangements that promote feelings of safety and security.  

“People who have experienced high levels of trauma often have their fight-or-flight response triggered,” said Erika Brulé, founder of Flip4Good. “We designed the apartment so that furniture placement ensures their backs are against walls and they can always see the door.”  

She added that the impact of design is integral to wellness.  

“When you understand how design complements and how design impacts our physical health and mental health, our well-being, our motivation, our desire to get up and go and to aspire for more, you really wanna be able to have the power to bring that into a home so that those families can experience the same,” Brulé said.  

The design also complements the goals of the HomeLight Family Living Program, which provides transitional housing and supportive services to families in need. Ricardo Rosales, the program director, emphasized that the mission goes beyond housing first. 

“The Midnight Mission strongly believes in families getting well first before the housing first philosophy. So we want families to get well while they’re here, continue with recovery and overall just become more self-sufficient,” he said.

For Reyes, the impact of the space is already clear. 

“After everything that we’ve been through, me and my kids, at least we’re gonna have a decent place where we’re not gonna have screaming. They’re not gonna be listening to arguments. It’s just gonna be a nice, stable house, home.” she said.  

And her story is just the beginning. 

The HomeLight Program plans to integrate trauma-informed design into more units, helping families rebuild their lives in an environment that prioritizes healing.