Charlie’s Corner: Safety

The importance of SAFETY at Community Homes.

Observations about safety conclude our series of Charlie’s Corner blogs that articulate our individual core values. Safety, though last in this series, is far from the least important of these values.

A large percentage of our resident population is made up of people who are aging. This process affects vision, strength, and balance, all safety risks. We also promise affordable safe, and compassionate housing solutions for them. So, what steps do we take on an on-going basis to assure a safe environment for our residents?

Our staff is well trained, and I personally make it my business to conduct a safety audit with the Site Administrator in each of our 289 apartments a minimum of twice a year. We look for apartments that are over-cluttered, check furniture arrangements to make sure there is ample ‘walking around’ space. We also look for frequently used items in the kitchen and other rooms and advise residents to keep them safely within reach. Many residents use canes and walkers. We encourage them to keep those aids handy and in use. Keeping communications open with them is also invaluable.

I will share a quote with you that articulates our commitment to safety.  W.C. Durant, President of General Motors in 1920, once said, “Teaching the world to be careful is a constructive service worthy of God’s great gift of life to man.”

Core value in action.

The way of life with Community Homes management and staff is to continually keep up with continuing-education resources about safety. We arrange for seminars and workshops to keep up with any new developments that can help us do a better job. The photo you see is a group of us listening and learning about new safety guidelines.

On an on-going basis, we follow the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE), which has been designed to improve HUD’s oversight and risk management capabilities through a reliable inspection process that better identifies health and safety risks to our Community Homes residents. We make sure we ‘cover all the bases’ when it comes to resident safety. We also conduct annual resident meetings facilitated by Board members. Residents make comments and suggestions which are noted and followed up. Open communication is key to our operation at Community Homes.