Quick and easy access to high-speed, reliable internet is no longer a luxury item for residents of multifamily properties. It’s a necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly heightened this new reality as it forced homes to become the focal point for school, work, entertainment, and almost all facets of life practically overnight — a transformation that has lasted for more than a year now and will likely shift how we live for the foreseeable future.
Developers and operators of multifamily properties had to adapt to meet their residents’ needs, and for The Franklin Johnston Group, this meant drawing even more on its mission to deliver an outstanding experience for its affordable housing residents just like it does for the conventional side of the business.
“We take pride in developing a quality affordable product that most people would say looks very much like a conventional site,” says Matt Hacker, senior vice president of operations at The Franklin Johnston Group, which manages approximately 19,000 units on the East Coast, about two-thirds of which are in the affordable housing category. “There is such a vast need for affordable housing, not just in our footprint, but all across this country to where, quite honestly, it’s a no-brainer.”
Resident connectivity, in particular, proved its value during the pandemic. “It’s even more of a major impact or a selling point for us because of the COVID nature we’re in, being that a lot of people are just home more and they need high-speed internet,” Hacker says. He points to long-time partner Cox and their Quick Connect feature, which makes it fast and easy for new residents to be connected upon move-in by activating the pre-installed equipment in their unit. “With kids being home, with people working from home … having high-speed internet in literally every single apartment was instrumental.”
In-unit internet connection for its residents isn’t the only benefit The Franklin Johnston Group realized from its partnership. Providing services and programs for kids at their clubhouses, including free Wi-Fi, came into play, too. That way, kids could “have a place to be able to hub and get some schoolwork done,” Hacker says. Beyond that, the housing company was able to quickly shift its operations at the beginning of the pandemic to rely on internet-based, instead of face-to-face, connections to keep their properties running well for their residents.
Hacker highlights his company’s experience with Cox in being able to provide the best experience for residents. “And they continue to tweak their technology package to try to adjust with our residents and this COVID environment we live in,” he says.
Learn how Cox can help your residents adapt and thrive in the “new normal” of the pandemic.
