A Shattered Sanctuary: The TCV Homestead Incident and the Urgent Need for Safety in Residential Mental Health
If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I have worked in both voluntary and involuntary residential settings. At both, the doors were locked, but for different reasons. One was locked to keep people in, the other locked to keep people out. Both are supposed to be places of healing and recovery where vulnerable individuals can feel safe while they get the support they need. But what happens when that sanctuary is shattered? In 2016, a horrific incident at the Turtle Creek Valley (TCV) residential facility in Homestead, Pennsylvania, showed the devastating consequences of compromised safety in a space dedicated to mental wellness. It also tells the story of a company that responded appropriately to the incident and made their building one of the safest in the city of Pittsburgh. On a fall afternoon, a former patient, entered the TCV facility armed with knives and what appeared to be a handgun (later found to be a BB ...
