Sanctuary Accreditation

In 2020, University Settlement began its three year process working toward Sanctuary accreditation through the Sanctuary Institute. The Sanctuary Institute implements the Sanctuary Model, centered on trauma-informed care, safety, and overcoming adversity.

The Sanctuary Model was created by Dr. Sandra Bloom through her work with ANDRUS, a social service center based in Yonkers, NY. After discovering a need for “trauma-informed organizational and environment-based care intervention” at ANDRUS, the Sanctuary Model was born. This model would serve as an organizational commitment to reclaim and re-shape the culture of the organization itself and the community it served. In 2001, Dr. Bloom began to implement the Sanctuary Model within ANDRUS, and within five years, the curriculum had reached major partners at ANDRUS who believed that the Sanctuary Model should be transformed into a training institute for other human services organizations.

Since adopting the Sanctuary Model, University Settlement has hosted a five-day training to educate its employees and has created a Sanctuary CORE Team to assist in implementation. The agency continues to provide Sanctuary Model training to incoming employees, along with booster sessions to refresh the central themes. With the principles of the Sanctuary Model in mind, University Settlement hopes to continue to build lasting, impactful relationships with one another, the community and beyond. Implementing Sanctuary Institute’s Sanctuary Model provides the framework to continue toward positive change.

“Creating Change through Sanctuary”