Transformed from a Phoenix inn, The Haven is an innovative 90-day transitional shelter providing older, homeless adults (55-plus) with a safe and mentally supportive environment to receive refuge and on-site support from Central Arizona Shelter Services and partners.

Designed to feel like a residential community, The Haven features amenities, including private bedrooms and bathrooms, a communal kitchenette, a central courtyard gathering space, a dog run, a landscaped exercise path, and planting beds — elements often overlooked in shelter design — to create a humane, supportive space for an aging and medically at-risk population.

Based on best wayfinding practices, vibrant colours and Sonoran Desert symbols help residents navigate and orient themselves around the shelter and site. Trauma-informed design permeates the project to allow the residents to receive specific support and required care during their residence. Professionally painted, highway-scale murals elevate the building’s exterior to evoke positive feelings for occupants and give back to the surrounding community.

This shelter creates a welcoming, healing environment for formerly homeless residents and will be used as a model for future shelters in the Phoenix metro area. The project has helped to dispel the stigma surrounding homelessness within the community and is seen as having a positive impact on the site by its neighbours.