10 Low-cost Ideas for Engaging Public Housing Residents

To get residents out of their homes or engage housing residents, resident events and groups are the way to go.

It encourages the community to stick together, engage, and have fun. Hosting events will help people living in your community to get out of their shells and increase engagement.

Here are ten low-cost ideas to keep your residents excited about their community.

Types Of Resident Events

Here are some types of resident events that will help you leave a positive and long-lasting effect on your residents.

Food Events

Who doesn't love good food? Hosting food events like fun cooking classes, mini food truck festivals, etc., are fun ways to get residents out of their homes and get to know each other.

Sporting Events

Involving residents by organizing sports events is a great way to please residents of any age. Host easy contests for sports lovers so anyone can easily participate.

Virtual Events

The pandemic has taught us to consider virtual options. Before planning any event, think about how you can make it virtual. You can host virtual lessons, game nights, watch parties, and more.

Kid-Friendly Events

Don't forget that kids are also community members. You can try a kid-only talent show, family movie night, kids carnival, etc.

Holiday Events

Make their holidays enjoyable and brighter with Halloween costume parties, cookie exchanges, and more. It's an excellent idea to plan resident events around holidays. This way, you can entertain and connect with your community.

10 Low-cost Ideas to Engage Community

There are numerous types of events you can host for your community. Here are a few that are sure to interest your community members.

#1 Food Truck Friday

Invite local food truck owners near your property weekly or monthly. It's a nice way to build relationships with food truck businesses and make your residents happy with good food.

#2 Host a Cooking Class

Host a cooking class where residents learn about cooking basics from a chef or can learn how to prepare basic meals. Preparing pizza is also a great option where people will prepare pizza and take it home to bake. Another good part is that you can host virtual cooking classes so your residents can participate from their homes comfortably via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, etc.

#3 Book Club

Reading is one of the most common habits, and there are always some avid readers around. It will be great to start a monthly resident book club.

#4 Valentine's Party

Host a fun, family-friendly romantic valentine's party in your community with chocolates, flowers, decorations, and a meal.

#5 Halloween Costume Competition

It's exciting to see people being dressed in creative costumes for Halloween. Organize a Halloween costume competition with gifts and prizes. Encourage everyone from all age groups to participate.

#6 Community Car Wash

Show your residents how much you care about them by hosting a charity car wash for the community or simply offering car washing to residents as a good neighbor. You can also provide snacks and beverages in exchange for the hard work.

#7 Fitness Classes

Going for a gym membership and boutique classes can be expensive, so fitness classes could be a massive attraction for residents. Invite instructors to teach lessons on yoga, Zumba, etc., and encourage your residents to participate.

#8 Kids Carnival

Host a kids carnival to show them you care about them too. Set up booths for face painting, games, food, and more.

#9 Tax Preparation Day

No doubt, tax time is stressful for everyone. You can plan an information session on tax preparation to help your residents feel at ease. Get the right instructor for your community by reaching out to a local CPA or accountant.

#10 Karaoke Night

Nothing can beat Karaoke night fun. Plan to host a night of light-hearted singing for your residents. You'll need to locate a karaoke machine and sound equipment for this.

Benefits of Hosting Community Events for Residents

Holding events in your residence regularly needs a good amount of planning, time, and sometimes money. But if they are organized well, it will lead to positive results for the entire community. Here are some of the benefits of hosting events for residents:

● Build Better Relationships With Residents

Hosting events in your community is a great way which helps residents to connect with others as well as the management team. It offers a positive experience and improves relationships with residents. Residents will get to know about the management, and they'll feel more comfortable reaching out to the team in case of queries or issues.

● Opportunity to Showcase Events in Marketing Campaigns

You are pleasing your residents by hosting events for them. You can use this to showcase your happy community on social media and traditional marketing. After permission from residents, you can share photos and videos of your community events, which will help you attract new residents.

● Increase Resident Retention

If residents like the events and surroundings, they are more likely to renew their leases and become star tenants. If they are happy in the community, they will pay rent on time, respect their surroundings and interact happily with management and other residents.

● Improve Resident Satisfaction

It's important to make your residents feel at home in your apartment, and that's why hosting resident events is essential. Build a true sense of satisfaction among your residents by hosting interesting and helpful events.

Conclusion

Organizing events will help better engagement, satisfaction, and retention of residents. If your residents are happy, they can benefit the community around them. Which ideas from our list would you like to try?