A common lament in American society today is the loss of a sense of community.
The old-fashioned feeling of familiarity and belonging once enjoyed among neighbors seems to have vanished in the fast-paced, impersonal world of the 1990s. Even as our lives grow more hectic, many of us find ourselves wishing a little of that community feeling could somehow be regained.
Rental properties, aware of this yearning for community, increasingly refer to themselves as apartment communities. But for some of them, the term is more than a euphemism.
At these properties, efforts are under way to build bonds among residents. Continental breakfasts, creatively staged monthly parties, organized trips to sporting and entertainment events, and clubs and organizations are all helping build bridges between otherwise disconnected people.
Whatever form they take, the community-building endeavors are finding a responsive audience among today’s apartment residents, said Kathryn Romanelli, director of referral services with Relcon Apartment Finders in Oak Brook.
She noted that today’s renters tend to be short on free time, but still want the opportunity to meet and develop friendships with their neighbors. “Even though they’re busy, they will take time out to go to the clubhouse for a planned activity,” Romanelli said. “They may know one or two people in their building, but they want to branch out. And they can do that in a non-threatening environment. It’s not like going to a bar . . . (and) that’s very comforting to them.”
While apartment communities’ efforts to bring residents together seem to be increasing, the idea is not new. Efforts to foster relationships between residents have been under way for decades at the International Village Apartments properties in Schaumburg and Lombard.
“It’s something we’ve done since day one,” said Sheila Poet, property manager at the Schaumburg location, which opened in 1970. “We’ve always had a full-time recreation director, and we literally have activities every day, whether its aerobics, or tennis, or a barbecue or margarita bingo. We try to stay on top of what our residents really want. For instance, at our Lombard community, we have a book club. That’s something that’s very popular there, but not as popular here.”
The activities that take place regularly at 732-unit International Village Schaumburg are as varied as the staff can make them. There’s a weekly children’s group that meets to learn about different cultures, and a four-week baseball camp for children at the beginning of summer vacation.
For adult residents, a “Hot for Summer” party kicks off the summer season with a live band, a tennis tournament, a barbecue and activities in or around the pool. The fun continues all summer long, in volleyball leagues geared for both competitive and recreational players.
In the colder months, bowling leagues, a holiday party held in conjunction with International Village Lombard, ski and riverboat casino trips and even jaunts to a nearby indoor rock-climbing facility help residents get to know one another, said Poet.
“We have quite a few residents who’ve lived here 10 and 20 years,” she noted. “We even have residents who’ve lived here since day one. They feel they live among friends.”
At Orchard Lakes Apartments in Wood Dale, a brimming roster of social activities has helped bring residents together for about five years. “It’s an opportunity for staff and residents to meet under pleasurable circumstances,” said regional property manager Julie Paliatka. “At these functions, we get to talk about things that aren’t related to (residents’) apartments: their kids, their jobs, their hobbies, their lives.”
The 228-unit, 10-year-old community holds pool parties and barbecues to mark the beginning and end of the summer season, and offers a Kids’ Day at the pool in midsummer. Parties with dinner supplied by Orchard Lakes management are built around sporting events televised on the big-screen TV in the clubhouse. There’s also a Resident Appreciation Week, with six to seven straight days of Bulls parties, bingo nights and other events that allow the staff to say “thank you” to residents for choosing Orchard Lakes.
The cost of the social activities is justified, said Paliatka, because people who feel connected to the community and their neighbors are less likely to look for another place to live. “They develop friendships and they don’t want to move,” she said. “Not only that, but I think it’s important for residents to know we care about their happiness, not just their rent checks.”
Skyridge Club Apartments in Crystal Lake is another place where a spirit of community is encouraged. The 192-unit, 10-year-old community holds a summer pool party or luau, holiday parties each December, Singles Mingles gatherings in February, and frequent get-togethers to watch televised Bulls and Bears games. There’s also a Santa’s Helper day in December, in which the staff offers planned activities for children, giving their parents a few free hours to shop.
“That’s the goal: to bring the community together,” said Barbara Browne, Skyridge Club property manager. “It allows people to get to know each other as people, not just as residents.”
At the 372-unit Elm Creek Apartments in Elmhurst, monthly social events have been a part of the mix since the community’s opening in 1987. A Sunday brunch is held once a month, and there’s also a semi-formal party in December, a Spring Fling on the first day of spring and an annual summer shindig at the pool. This year’s “The Summer Safari” drew about 400 residents for a pig roast, dancing, limbo competition, and other poolside activities.
“Everybody works crazy hours among the residents, so it’s hard to make friends,” said Jessica Clark, assistant manager. “It makes it so much easier to meet friends when it’s almost forced. And it’s nice because you don’t have to go anywhere. You just walk out of your apartment and there’s the party!”
What may be the most ambitious effort to foster community is under way at Romeoville’s HighPoint Community, whose 552 units opened last year. At its center is a town square offering a central park, neighborhood shops and a 26,000-square-foot community center. Opening in stages this summer, the center will serve as the focal point for interaction among residents.
The Naperville-based Institute for Community, a non-profit company that works to help people “experience genuine community where they live and work,” manages the community-building programs at HighPoint, said IFC community facilitator Mike Vickery.
“Residents drive our programming, letting them live out their passions and contribute to their community in ways that appeal to them,” he said. “My role is to connect people within HighPoint Community who have mutual interests.”
Residents exchange ideas at continental breakfasts the community holds weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. Out of that idea exchange has come a garden club and another resident group that designed and built a professional-quality sand volleyball court on the grounds.
Also in the works are a children’s toy-share, a parents’ baby-sitting exchange, theater groups for children and volleyball socials for adults. A residents’ travel organization is busy scheduling outings and trips, and the HighPoint Social Club has plans for everything from progressive dinner parties to Monday Night Football chili parties, said Vickery.
All residents can take advantage of a special HighPoint Community voice-mail system designed to allow any resident leader to leave voice mail for members of his club or organization with a single phone call.
And the community center will have a three-station “cybercafe,” where residents can log onto a computer and send or receive E-mail messages relating to club activities. “Communicating better among one another is an aid to developing community,” said Vickery.
Key to making the programs work is resident participation and involvement. Residents decide which clubs and organizations will be formed and staff them themselves. As they build friendships and work toward common goals, they develop a sense of ownership in the community.
“It’s a harder way to do things, because it’s relational,” said Vickery. “It takes time, and in this day and age people don’t have a lot of time. However, when people are afforded the opportunity to share their pasts and receive affirmation about the present, they’re able to build a future together.”
