What We’ve Learned Since Launching the Community Life Program at Maximus Communities
In an unprecedented turn of events, the fabric of our lives has unraveled in many ways — everything from dining to working has been displaced in some way, shape or form. In response to early shelter-in-place protocols, the inception of Maximus’ Community Life Program was not only a way to stitch back together the fabric of lives, but to imagine it rewoven into something greater.
The Community Life Program at Maximus communities is both a physical and financial support system for both residents and employees. This project involves partnering with local businesses, filling in needed amenities, scheduling virtual wellness and fitness programs, and programming safe social functions. Its initial formulation may have been an immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis, but the strides made in our communities these past several months taught us more than just crisis management — it’s given us deep insight into the finer details of residential support.
Photo entry for The Cove at Tiburon’s Winter Decorating contest last December
According to Senior Director of Community Relations Management & Brand Execution Avneesh Nigam, the team behind this program is focused on “moving beyond the commodity,” and digging into unique lifestyle experiences that curate an environment that brings about moments of joy. What Maximus does is identify the specific needs of residents and then integrate services into that community’s lifestyle. These have been demonstrated by basic needs such as COVID-19 testing in partnership with Curative, mobile delivery of groceries with Cheetah and fuel delivery with Booster.
Parkmerced’s partnership with Fully grants residents discounted access to innovative home office redesigns
The key component of offering stewardship to residents is to understand the dynamism of a tight-knit network. Therefore, this program bridges together residents, employees, vendors and greater communities. Director Nigam states, “We ask ourselves what service can we provide by listening and acting on the desires of all involved? This is a natural step for Maximus to further embrace the humanity of our community.” In an acknowledgment that multi-family real estate is partly a relationship-based industry, Nigam believes that human connection is central to providing a sense of place, togetherness and identity.
Several Maximus communities such as The Cove at Tiburon and Sharon Green have partnered with WilderBites to bring resident pets fresh, unprocessed treats.
In carrying out the program’s initiatives, another critical piece of the puzzle has surfaced: communication. Prioritizing consistency and clarity, the program reaches residents through the Community Life website, newsletters, social posts, surveys and interpersonal communications. According to Director Nigam, the benefits of this program go beyond providing services — the crux of successful crisis response and community building rests on relationships of respect and empathy: “We are all in a similar place in this world. We are taking the time to relate, understand and give space to act in a loving and caring manner that will lay the foundation for amazing collaboration from employees and the feeling of appreciation from our residents.”
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