The Impact of the Resident Survey

There are two MAJORLY impactful things that we do here at NHA in order to tap into what matters most to our residents and understand how to be THE leader in community housing delivery. 

The first is our Community Advisory Group, a quarterly meeting with and for residents where the organization and residents can connect in an open forum and discuss ongoing issues, upcoming events, concerns, solutions, and provide transparency with each other around organizational policies and procedures as well as the health and vitality of each of our buildings and the communities within them.

And the second is our biennial resident survey. The survey goes out to all residents and helps us collect massive amounts of information on the health, wellness, safety and security, vivacity, and enjoyment of everyone who lives with us. We also collect details on what’s working with the 50/50 model, where we’ve been doing a great job, where we can improve, what residents feel about living with us, and what they need to remain living with us.

Of course, what’s most important here is not just that we collect this information – it’s what we do with it!

First thing’s first, we have our survey guru (who creates and then collects the survey results anonymously) pull together the outcomes for us and help us compare them to previous results – it’s important to know the changes we are making are having a positive impact over time!

We discuss in great detail as a team and work on an action plan – weighing such important priorities as the overall wellbeing of residents, the immediate financial flexibility of the organization, and the resourcing capacity of the team. Then we get started.

 So what are we doing with this information?

In the recent resident survey, concluded in February of this year, we noticed three things that were repeatedly brought to light from residents and given the nature and/or the repetition of the concern, we focused on them immediately.

At our townhouse complex, safety and security has been an ongoing concern – and with good reason. The areas surrounding the complex have become under-used, the complex is close to the train tracks, and in general the area has a lot of foot traffic but minimal lighting or visibility from the streets. This has been an ongoing concern for both staff and residents, especially with children in the building.

In response to these concerns, NHA recently applied for and was awarded a Home Grant through the City of Calgary to add in security features to the building. Norfolk Housing will work with residents to determine the largest areas of concern and best use of the grant to ensure that the improvements made are directly tied to the needs of the residents at that building.

Additionally, NHA will be beautifying the shared spaces and adding in feature(s) that bring joy and light into the building and surrounded area – efforts we’ve found extremely fruitful for the overall happiness for residents (and staff) at other buildings over the past year. And last but certainly not least, staff and residents are discussing ways to create a safer and more enjoyable space for the children in the building to share time outdoors. We can’t wait to see what residents and staff come up with for all of these plans!

Another thing that residents reported is that the current cleaning schedule wasn’t keeping up to the demand (over the last two years we’ve admitted more pets into the buildings, and more people in their homes more regularly) – something that we hadn’t really thought about!

So in response to this concern (remember: EVERYONE deserves to have a home they love and are proud of), NHA hired an in-house employee dedicated to the upkeep and cleanliness of the buildings. But we didn’t stop there. We also upgraded shared carpets, lighting, painted lobbies and hallways, and are currently working to improve murals and garden spaces at all of our buildings.

Last but not least – residents reported that they overwhelmingly love living with us and encourage others to live with us, and that’s largely because we aren’t just a landlord – we are caretakers of our buildings and stewards for our community. BUT some residents have concerns about their long-term ability to remain successfully housed (with us, but also more generally) and THAT is a definite priority to Norfolk.

So in response to this concern, we are currently working jointly with residents on a Resident Wellness Program. With the help of a grant from the Community Housing Transformation Centre (through CMHC), NHA is hiring a consultant who will work with staff and residents to determine the current and foreseen needs of residents to support them now and into the future.

We anticipate such topics as aging in place, home cleaning and support, mental/physical wellness resources, and resident community building will be some of the key focus areas. The consultant will consider best practices in the sector and work side-by-side with everyone necessary to ensure by 2023 NHA is able to implement a wellness strategy that supports current, prospective and even past residents in the best way possible. Stay tuned!

 A final word

A huge thank you to all of our residents who participated in this year’s survey (and past surveys). We want you to know how valuable your insight is into our day-to-day operations and that the team works hard to implement your suggestions.

Please consider joining us at the next Community Advisory Group (watch for invites in the monthly resident newsletter) and having a say on a constant and ongoing basis. Your vitality and wellbeing as part of our community is our guiding principle and your involvement helps us ensure everyone feels at home here.