Centering Residents in Building Decisions

As affordable housing providers strive to become more inclusive and person-centered, over the past year SAHF member, Community Housing Partners (CHP), explored new ways to deepen engagement with residents before, during and after a major rehabilitation at a 78-unit affordable townhome community in Blacksburg, Virginia. CHP applied SAHF’s resident benefits framework to focus on the benefits of building upgrades and to conscientiously involve residents as key partners in the decision-making process. While doing this in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic had its challenges, CHP learned many valuable engagement strategies and lessons during this experience. These lessons are highlighted in SAHF’s Centering Residents in Building Decisions case study.