In order for any relationship to be successful and long-lasting, there are certain factors that can influence the foundation on which it stands. In public housing, there is always an advantage when residents and the public housing staff have a strong relational foundation, which creates a safe atmosphere and increases resident involvement. Below are 10 things residents must have from housing and their surrounding environment, to be actively involved in public housing events and programming.
Safe and Healthy Environments
Every person has the right to a safe and healthy environment, especially the one that is called home. It is imperative that not only the inside is safe and healthy, but the outside as well. Environmental health hazards, such as coronavirus, have permeated the atmosphere with concern and worry, which has influenced residents to remain indoors and avoid large crowds. Following pandemic guidelines and practicing social distancing is a significant factor when soliciting residents to be more active. In addition, maintaining the aesthetics and replacing old and unsafe elements of the residential community will also increase involvement. Building materials that have become molded, rusted, and outdated could possibly pose a threat to residents and their health. Pest infestation, carbon monoxide, and allergens that derive from these issues are all health hazards that will prevent residents from being actively involved in housing events if they feel unsafe.
Mass Communication
Technology has afforded everyone the ability to spread information in a global capacity, with so many different methods of communication today. With just the push of a button, knowledge of upcoming events can be shared at a massive rate. Flyers are oftentimes used to inform residents of upcoming events or to let them know when they will have visitors from housing, such as pest control or maintenance. Also, there is always the popular usage of social media. However, when it comes to spreading the message, people have so many options and ways that they can choose to receive it, there must be a variety of ways it is published to the public. Communicative resources such as automated calls, emails, and texts are great ways to reach out to residents, if they opt-in, of course. Therefore, it is important that the staff of public housing take advantage of every opportunity and avenue available to get detailed information about events to its residents, thus increasing the chances of them showing up and being more actively involved.
Temporary Childcare
Because public housing is one of the most common rental assistance programs available to single mothers and their children, those who are most likely to attend public events and programs that are offered, are going to be single mothers. With the opportunity to attend financial literacy classes, nutrition classes, and/or forums that discuss resident concerns, it can prove to be difficult to be in attendance when parents have no one to assist with their children while they are away. Although most of the events aren’t usually held for longer than an hour or two, it can be very discouraging for participants who are being distracted by small children, while trying to focus on ways to become self-sufficient.
Resident Inclusivity
When making the decision to hold a community event, there is planning and there is a process that housing staff must put together and follow through to completion. In order for the event to have the best chance at success, there has to be a goal and there needs to be a team put into place to help the event run smoothly and efficiently. Although the size of the teams will be based on the size of the event, there are residents and children in each housing unit who would love to be included in the event planning process. Parent and children volunteers could be a catalyst to getting more parents and children to come out to the events. Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement or awareness. If residents are excited about being a part of something behind the scenes and have an opportunity to help put it together, they will also see an opportunity to highly influence more residents to get involved.
Considerable Timing
Another factor that plays a major role in the residents being actively involved in the housing events and programming, is the timing and scheduling of the events. Community meetings and resource classes that are held to help residents become more self-sufficient are necessary to their success, therefore the date and time that these events are scheduled for is imperative to the resident’s ability to attend. Although, choosing what date and time to have the events is not an easy feat, it must be taken into consideration. That may mean having the same event twice, at different times, and possibly even on different days.
On-site Events
Many of the events that are put together by the housing staff are intended to bring the community together and give each resident an opportunity to connect, network, learn and lead. In many cities, there are multiple housing units. Because of this, some of the units may get neglected or overlooked when it comes to having events hosted on-site. In turn, this discourages residents from attending because they have to travel to other housing units in order to participate in the events. This limits the amount of attendees that show up, as well as the possible connections that could be made through the residents. There may not be an easy solution to this problem, but having events hosted on-site will increase engagement and, ultimately, encourage residents to be more actively involved.
Transportation
While on-site events are the most convenient way for residents to have direct access to attend, it is not always feasible to have the same event, multiple times, for the sake of attendance. It can be cost ineffective and overwhelming for the housing staff. There are several housing residents who do not have personal transportation, though, and that can be a major issue regarding resident involvement. When events are hosted on other housing unit sites, residents are not always able to attend for that reason. Therefore, if the housing staff could provide a shuttle or some other form of transportation to pick up and drop off residents to events that are held in units other than theirs, there could be an increase of resident involvement for events.
Child Development Events
When the housing staff hosts events that are beneficial to a resident who is working to be more intentional about his/her personal development, these particular events are normally geared towards adults. Public housing has become a staple residence for single mothers with children. Many of these children suffer from developmental issues. Some of them are in circumstances that revolve around bullying and some that are fueled by neglect. Many parents also work and It takes a village to raise a child. Many mothers would be more actively involved if there were other events that were hosted specifically for the children. Topics such as bullying, mental health, and relationships would be great foundations. In addition, because of the huge changes that were made in our lives, discussing the pandemic and how it has affected the children would not be a bad idea. Regardless, children want to feel included and children need to be heard as well.
Community Connections
The Public Housing Staff has a reputation for building long-lasting relationships within the community. Residents are given multiple opportunities to participate in community events that are planned, prepared, and hosted by the housing staff, and many of these events are partnered with local businesses, first responders, and politicians within the community. However, the opportunity to get to know these community leaders and learn from them is, oftentimes, missed due to timing and/or scheduling. Many residents would benefit greatly from having events that allowed temporary, yet direct, access to local business owners, politicians, and first responders to be introduced and possibly establish a community connection that will be foundational for engagement and resident involvement of future (community) events.
Equality
When engaging in housing activities or public housing events, residents want to feel as equal as possible. There are strict laws that are in place to prohibit any resident from being discriminated against and it is favorable to public housing when relationships are established amongst residents and housing staff. There are many events that take place that require residents to be in attendance and, sometimes, the number of quality residents that live in public housing can be misrepresented when they are overlooked. In addition, residents thrive when they feel like they are seen and not just viewed as public housing residents, but as humans. Relationship building can benefit the atmosphere and environment between the residents and housing staff and will further help to prevent any feelings of favoritism or inequality, increasing resident involvement.
It is not always easy to build engagement and it is not always easy to maintain resident involvement, however there are multiple ways the housing staff and its residents can work together to make sure it is possible. Hopefully, these 10 Things Residents Must Have from Housing Staff and their Surrounding Environment to be Actively Involved in Housing Events and Programming are a start.
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