Legacy Projects

Many of our Residents arrive with a history of trauma. Not only have they been shouldering the burden of a diagnosis of a terminal illness but they often have also been struggling with anxiety and stress around trying to find safe shelter, food, and basic essentials for living each day. Living out on the streets does not foster the type of environment where one can think about processing the grief that comes with dying. 

Often our Residents arrive without any knowledge of where their families are now located. Most have not been in contact with family members in years. A large percentage also end up on the streets having tried to escape domestic violence, leaving them no safe family to reach out to during their remaining days. 

Working with our End-of-Life Doulas, each Resident will have the opportunity to complete a Legacy Project. The project walks them through a series of “life review” style questions, aimed at exploring memories from their life that brought great joy and pride, as well as heavier memories that they might wish to talk through to gain fresh perspective. Depending on how they feel each day, they will be invited to participate in various somatic healing techniques to release stress, anxiety, fears, anger, and really any emotion that might surface during exploration. Examples of techniques include: music & art therapy, dreamwork, guided meditation, aromatherapy, plant ally mediations, sound journeys, journaling, massage, Reiki, and rebirthing breathwork.