The Beginning
TRS started in 2012 during the height of the homicide epidemic in the city of Boston. Wilbur Brown graduated from BU with a degree focused on social work and psychology. He provided psychological first aid to many families in the area of Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury. This influx of community need prompted a need for a broader support system in the area of trauma and transition, and thus TRS was born.
In going deeper into the work, Wilbur realized there are so many men and women returning from transitional situations- incarceration, hospitalization, grieving a loved one- that need skills, resources, and networks to get back to their normal baseline. Wilbur himself faced overwhelming stigma and countless struggles as a man of color coming out of prison. His success stemmed from having structured, networked systems and groups to help him navigate his way back to citizenship.
The Vision
The vision of TRS is to aid people leaving traumatic experiences or institutions in transitioning back to mainstream society. Our mission at TRS is to use collaboration to build a web of support that allows individuals to identify their own pathways to wellness. We are eager to continue our programming during this COVID-19 pandemic as we recognize that our participants need our services now more than ever. At this time we are pivoting our in-person support services and resource groups into online versions. Our emphasis is being placed on mental health, physical activity, and community support while practicing physical distancing. We also want to provide participants in dire need of financial support with a monetary reward for their participation allotted to essential care items and food.
Our Work
“Our mission at TRS is to use collaboration to build a web of support that allows individuals to identify their own pathways to wellness.”
The core of our work is focused on facilitated Psychosocial groups. Each Group meets on a regular basis in order to provide safe space to receive personal support to work through trauma and learn positive coping mechanisms. We are confident that we will be able to provide the same structured, trust-based environments in a digital format, as we have a team of experienced facilitators ready to help lead groups.
We hope to offer two digital groups: “Tea Sipping Tuesday” and a Transitional Support Group around Corona Issues. “Tea Sipping Tuesday” is a preexisting TRS group that meets biweekly in order to process feelings, thoughts, and concerns around the “isms” such as racism, sexism, and classism. Those that experience oppression are hit doubly hard by issues stemming from Corona, so we feel that Tea Sipping Tuesday will continue to be an important place for people’s mental health. The second group we hope to offer, a Transitional Support Group, will specifically be geared towards resource sharing. In our network we have people who have faced multiple issues related to Corona- housing issues, immigration issues, food access, domestic violence- and we feel it is important to provide a space for people to seek resources and share their best practices on dealing with these issues. In addition, we are connected to many diverse partners and will actively connect our members to their resources.
Along with providing group spaces, TRS is maintaining a “Hope Line” on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1pm-3pm. We receive calls and make checkin calls to our members, in order to help them process their concerns, fears, and anxieties. By spending 5-15 minutes with each caller, we continue to weave trust into our organization by supporting people emotionally, inviting them to our larger support groups, and connecting them with resources. TRS is uniquely positioned to distribute physical goods to its members. We have built the infrastructure, from hosting a $2 Bag Site at our offices, to safely distribute food and supplies. We also have an established tradition of delivering food and supplies to our elderly and infirmed members.
A new initiative that we are very excited to start for our members are the “Mindfulness Walks”. During the nicer weather, we are hosting 30-45 minute nature walks to give members the space to exercise and socialize in a safe way. Using gloves and jump ropes, we will make certain that members are able to stay 6-8 feet apart from one another, and we plan to make small formations. We will lead members through a mindfulness walk, beginning with a breathing exercise, then focusing on sound based meditation. We will ensure that these walks adhere to a strict RSVP system so that we can be sure we have the capacity to operate safely.