At the Better Housing Coalition’s home office and across our 16 rental communities in Richmond, Henrico and Petersburg, the welfare of our staff members and residents is our first priority.
BHC formed a task force of representatives from across the organization to address concerns and take proactive steps in the interest of keeping our staff and residents healthy during the Coronavirus pandemic. This task force meets frequently, monitors federal, state and local health guidelines closely and makes adjustments to our work processes as needed. Regular advisories are being distributed to staff and residents until the Coronavirus/COVID-19 is no longer a threat in our region.
We are currently taking precautionary measures as recommended by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including the increased frequency of cleaning common areas, greater sanitizing of high-touch surfaces, and posting virus prevention posters in all bathrooms, kitchens and community rooms. We have also installed a supply of tissues, hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes in the main office reception area, and all leasing offices. If you visit, please feel free to use them.
Speaking of visits, for the moment we are taking temporary measures to reduce the frequency of in-person contact. Our property management, maintenance and resident services staff are on the front lines every day, working directly with residents of our rental communities. Staff at all locations are operating at reduced schedules onsite, so we encourage everyone to call your BHC contacts before dropping by. We feel it is in everyone’s best interest to request that current and prospective residents and guests make appointments in advance to see leasing office staff when necessary, and limit the number of individuals attending those meetings. Our staff is wearing face masks and we ask that residents and visitors wear masks before entering any BHC building or office as well. In addition, we are further limiting exposure to residents and staff by postponing routine unit inspections, and responding only to maintenance requests deemed as emergencies. Unfortunately, for the safety of our residents – especially our seniors – we have also made the difficult decision to secure community rooms, and cancel resident programming for now.
We’ve reminded our staff to follow standard precautions, including frequent hand washing, and to stay home if they feel ill. Likewise, we ask that residents, vendors and business partners refrain from visiting if you have a fever, feel ill or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. We ask for your patience and cooperation during this unprecedented time in our history. As long as we all work together, we will get through this.
We can’t wait to get back to business as usual. In the meantime, stay healthy, and wash your hands!