The Llar Rosario Endrinal as a learning device: a feminist, trauma-sensitive Communal Housing First model for social work education

This article examines Llar Rosario Endrinal, a feminist, intersectional, and trauma-sensitive Communal Housing First initiative for women experiencing homelessness in Barcelona, as a situated learning device for social work practice and education. It draws on qualitative findings from the first phase of a three-year mixed-methods longitudinal study (2024–2027), based on interviews with nine women residents and the multidisciplinary professional team. The findings show that homelessness involves not only housing deprivation but also relational disruption, isolation, and loss of belonging. A community-based, trauma-sensitive environment supports the rebuilding of trust and social ties, while professional practice shifts from expert-driven intervention toward relational, non-directive support grounded in availability, sustained presence, and respect for autonomy. Communal living also emerges as a space for mutual support, collective agency, and situated learning. The study shows how Llar Rosario Endrinal functions as both an intervention model and a learning device, with implications for social work education. It supports training that integrates feminist, intersectional, and trauma-sensitive approaches while preparing professionals to sustain relationships in contexts marked by violence, inequality, trauma, and institutional mistrust.