February 3, 2025
Understanding the needs and experiences of residents is at the core of Community Housing Partners’ (CHP) approach to managing its housing communities. Each year, CHP conducts a resident survey at a selected group of properties, rotating through its portfolio every few years. This approach gathers valuable feedback that shapes decisions across all properties, ensuring residents’ voices are heard on a regular basis and their concerns addressed.
“Our resident surveying efforts have one primary goal: to hear what our residents have to say about their experiences living at a CHP property,” said Kristie McMichael, Business Intelligence Manager. “We use that information to identify what’s going right so we can scale those successes across our portfolio and address any issues that arise.”
The survey process is a collaborative effort. In 2020, a cross-departmental team from CHP’s Asset Management, Property Management, and Resident Services departments helped develop questions designed to gather meaningful insights. Topics include satisfaction with property staff, homes, and community amenities, as well as participation in Resident Services programs. The survey also encouraged residents to share ideas for new offerings.
While each property is unique, common themes often emerge from the responses. Many residents express satisfaction with their homes and appreciation for the work of property staff. In 2024, the surveys revealed a growing interest in programs that address food insecurity, a shift from previous years when activities like Bingo and holiday gatherings were most requested.
At J. Van Story Branch Apartments in Baltimore, the survey process was a celebration with the introduction of Survey Day. “It was great,” said Larissa Lippy, a resident at J. Van Story Branch. “They had an ice cream truck, music, and giveaways. I picked up some cleaning supplies. You never can get enough of those! I even won the raffle and got a Walmart gift card. That was great; I never win raffles and stuff like that.”
Survey results are shared with property staff and internal teams to guide budgeting, policy updates, and communication strategies. Insights from past surveys have led to changes in maintenance procedures and new initiatives to improve community resources.
To measure overall satisfaction, the Business Intelligence team calculates a Net Promoter Score (NPS) for each property based on how likely residents are to recommend their community to others. “Tracking NPS scores over time helps us gauge whether the changes we’re making are having a positive impact on satisfaction,” McMichael explained.
Residents have responded positively to the annual survey process, with many expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share their thoughts. “We’ve received great feedback, and some residents even ask us to survey them every year,” McMichael says. Lippy added, “It was neat you guys wanted to know what I was feeling, what I like, and what I don’t like. If other residents want to get heard, I’d tell them to do it!”
For McMichael and her team, the most rewarding aspect of the project is building connections. “Visiting the properties and talking to residents helps us put faces to the data,” she said. “But what I really love is sharing the positive comments during our survey debrief meetings. On-site staff don’t always hear the good things, so being able to highlight their hard work and show them how much residents appreciate them is incredibly fulfilling.”
Founded in 1975, Community Housing Partners (CHP) provides quality-built, responsibly managed, service-enriched homes for low-income individuals and families across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Through its mission to create homes and communities that are healthy, sustainable, and affordable, CHP has been a leading advocate of affordable housing development for 50 years. CHP’s activities include real estate development, construction, energy services and training, asset management, property management, realty and homeownership, and comprehensive resident services.