We believe that no one should have to face grief alone. That is why we want Grief Houses to be established in other communities too – wherever there are people ready to create a space for connection, conversation, and mutual support after loss.
Grief House Warsaw was established as a social innovation aimed at developing local, community-based grief support. The model is based on presence, human connection, and psychoeducation, and does not replace therapy or professional psychological support. We have brought together the lessons learned from our Warsaw pilot project in a handbook that will help you create a similar space in your own community.
Grief House Innovation Implementation Handbook:From Idea to First Meeting
We have prepared a practical guide for individuals, community organizations, institutions, and local communities interested in establishing their own Grief House. The handbook provides guidance on organizing and facilitating meetings, building a team, inviting participants, creating a safe and supportive environment, and adapting the model to local needs. We also share our experiences of testing the innovation in Warsaw – what worked well, what challenges we encountered, and what we learned along the way.
You do not need to recreate our Grief House in exactly the same way. Think of the handbook as a starting point for creating a space that responds to the needs of your own community.
Thinking About Opening Your Own Grief House?
We would love to hear where our innovation is reaching new communities. Be sure to explore our handbook (free download links below) and leave us your contact details if you are considering implementing the model in your area.
* We will use your personal data to process your expression of interest in the Grief House model. If you give separate consent, we will also send you updates about the development of the initiative. Detailed information about how we process personal data and your rights can be found in our Privacy policy.
Download the Handbook
Benefit from the experience of our Warsaw pilot project. Discover a model of grief support that you can adapt to the needs of your community.
Free resources for implementing the social innovation.
Materials are being prepared. The files will be made available once the editing process is complete.
License and Terms of Use
The handbook “How to Create a Grief House?” was developed as part of testing a social innovation funded by the European Social Fund Plus under the European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027 programme. The publication is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. You may copy, share, use, and adapt it free of charge, provided that you give appropriate credit, acknowledge the source, include a link to the license, and indicate any changes made.
Learn about the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license
If you use the handbook to create a similar initiative, we would love to hear about your experience.
Have Questions?
If you are thinking about creating a Grief House in your community and would like to learn more about our experience, please contact us at hello@griefhouse.community.
We believe we can learn how to support people through grief together ♥️