LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Margarita Reyes' journey to this moment has been anything but easy.
After escaping an abusive situation, she and her sons had to sleep in the car for nights and stay with relatives for extended periods.
The holidays were particularly hard as she struggled to answer her boys' innocent but heartbreaking questions about what they would eat or where they would sleep.
“I knocked on a lot of doors,” she said, reflecting on the challenges of finding stability.
But this Christmas is much more than just a festive season – it's a new beginning.
Reyes and her children moved into a transitional housing unit designed specifically for their well-being.
Thanks to the innovative principles of trauma-informed design and the support of the organization Flip4Good, which partners with Midnight Mission's HomeLight program, the family now has a space that promotes both safety and healing.
“The boys were happy when I told them we had a place to stay over Christmas. They’ll be at home eating cooked meals and they’ll be happy,” Reyes said.
Flip4Good, an organization that focuses on trauma-informed design, transformed the space with intentional choices like calming colors—pink, blue, and green—and furniture arrangements that provide a sense of safety and security.
“In people who have experienced high levels of trauma, a fight-or-flight response is often triggered,” said Erika Brulé, founder of Flip4Good. “We designed the apartment so that the furniture is placed so that your back is against the wall and you can always see the door.”
She added that the impact of design is a key factor in well-being.
“Understanding how design complements and influences our physical and mental health, our well-being, our motivation, our desire to get up and go and strive for more. “You really want to have the opportunity to bring this into a home so these families can experience the same thing,” Brulé said.
The bill 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 just housing.
“Midnight Mission firmly believes that families' recovery comes first before placement philosophy. “That’s why we want families to get healthy during their stay, continue to recover and become more independent overall,” he said.
For Reyes, the impact of the space is already clear.
“After everything we've been through, me and my kids, at least we'll have a decent place where we don't have to scream. They won't listen to the arguments. It will just be a nice, stable house, a home,” she said.
And her story is just the beginning.
The HomeLight Program plans to incorporate trauma-informed design into additional units to help families rebuild their lives in an environment where healing is a priority.