2022: Projects, Highlights, and What’s to Come
First of all, can we just say that it felt so good to regain some normalcy this year and get into rooms with many of you again!
We hosted our first in-person event with residents in June on our rooftop patio and it was such a joy. Then in July, we unexpectedly hosted our BIGGEST Stampede Breakfast yet (read more here) - a huge and delightful surprise after two years of missing the tradition!
We couldn’t have done it without the support of friends at Accessible Housing and our amazing neighbours in Kensington - seriously. Thank you, friends.
And there’s a lot of that we have to say about our collaboration with our amazing friends Calgary Dollars for all that they do in supporting our residents in ways big and small, so much so, we had to write a whole post about it!
In reflecting on the work we accomplished internally at NHA, we’re proud of tackling a few big projects, especially, including a revamp in the last few months of our strategic priorities (more on that in our Community Report in April!).
But among many large projects, we simply enjoyed and appreciated being able to get into buildings and units more freely, with loads of smaller improvements happening across all six of our buildings and seeing through items that had been put on hold over the worst of the pandemic.
Additionally, we’re excited to say that much of the work we tackled this year came directly from residents via two channels - the Resident Survey that we did at the end of 2021 and the Community Advisory Group meetings that we host every quarter (since 2016).
Staff utilized resident feedback from theses two important channels to directly inform an action plan and each department’s work plans for the year. The entire organization had a hand in determining what the budget would allow, setting timelines, and assessing priorities for actions against our values of safety and security, dignity of home, and more.
We're very proud of the team for finding us TWO grants this year - one that was utilized to make major improvements at our townhouse complex around safety and security, including installing better lighting and a bigger, better fence and gate (you may have seen some of those improvements shared to social media while they were happening).
The other grant is funding the Resident Wellness Strategy, with outside consultants working to understand and evaluate the holistic wellness of residents in their own words, better understand what will be needed in terms of supports into the future via NHA and other providers, and provide NHA with a proposed plan of action (anticipated date October 2023).
While it still feels a bit farther away, we know now more than ever how important it is to understand what NHA can do as landlords - and beyond - to support resident’ wellness from a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual perspective. There are many moving pieces to supporting such a diverse community and we are excited to learn how we can do better. We know our residents are instrumental in letting us know how they view our involvement and commitment in each of these very personal aspects of their lives.
Another HUGE improvement this year was that our newest acquisition, Riley Park Place, got new doors and windows - definitely needed! Residents across the building report major improvements in overall comfort, security, less drafts, and we've noticed a difference in energy usage as well! An anticipated checkmark to our continued efforts to improve environmental initiatives across buildings.
We are so excited to see what’s coming this year for Norfolk and thrilled to be embarking upon some learning of our own - we know that an organization is only as good as its commitment to change, development, learning, and sustainable growth.