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June 2, 2025
On May 21, Wesley Housing, in partnership with IKEA College Park, hosted A Look into Healing Spaces, a community showcase at Coppermine Place I & II in Herndon, VA to celebrate the completion of newly redesigned community spaces using trauma-informed design practices. The affordable housing communities, which serve older adults and individuals with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, now feature supportive, healing-centered shared spaces that promote mental wellness and social connection.
Wesley Housing and the IKEA College Park team welcomed residents, community partners, and stakeholders to experience the transformed spaces firsthand. Guests enjoyed a guided tour, followed by a speaking program featuring remarks from project leaders and heartfelt testimonies from residents on their lived experiences. The program highlighted the importance of partnership in creating environments that better serve vulnerable populations and support mental health—a particularly timely focus during Mental Health Awareness Month.
The transformation–valued at $24,000–included design services, furniture, and volunteer labor. IKEA College Park’s Interior Design Team assessed the community and led the trauma-informed redesign, focusing on comfort, accessibility, and emotional safety. Further, TaskRabbit Taskers donated their time to support installation efforts, ensuring accessibility and ease for residents.
“At Wesley Housing, we strive to foster environments where residents feel both physically and emotionally safe–because that sense of security is foundational to building trust and empowering individuals to build up their lives,” said Irrin Suvanasai, Vice President of Resident Services at Wesley Housing. “This partnership has transformed more than just physical spaces–it’s helping to enrich the daily lives of the 131 residents who call this community home.”
The refreshed common areas now include freshly painted walls, new lighting, upgraded furnishings, improved layouts, and inviting décor–each element carefully chosen to foster a warm, functional, and healing atmosphere.
“IKEA College Park was honored to take part in this project because it resonated deeply with our vision to create a better everyday life for the many,” said Andre Armstrong, Business Manager at IKEA. “Being able to provide a safe space for Coppermine Place residents while incorporating trauma-informed design was a significant step forward.”
Following the program, IKEA led a resident wellness workshop, “Goodbye Clutter, Hello Summer,” offering compassionate, practical guidance on hoarding awareness and gentle decluttering. The session addressed one of the fastest-growing mental health concerns among older adults–hoarding disorder–by providing residents with tools and tips to manage clutter and support a healthy home environment.
About Wesley Housing: Wesley Housing, a leading nonprofit developer in Virginia and DC, has worked to provide affordable rental housing for individuals and families for more than 50 years. Since its founding, Wesley Housing has emerged as a premier developer of affordable housing. Wesley Housing currently owns over 3,000 rental units, providing quality housing for thousands of individuals and families each year. Wesley Housing supplements housing with supportive services to build up the lives of more than 4,700 residents, including low- and moderate-income families, older adults, and individuals with disabilities and/or chronic disease. For more information, please visit www.wesleyhousing.org.
About IKEA: At IKEA, the vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people by offering well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) is one of 12 different groups of companies that own and operate IKEA retail under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ingka Group has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Ingka Group is a strategic partner in the IKEA franchise system, operating 389 IKEA stores in 32 countries – including 52 retail locations in the U.S. For more information on IKEA U.S., see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.