A good fit for her family
In 2012, Jennifer Erickson, her boyfriend and 2 teenage daughters were looking for a new place to live that would fit their family’s needs. They had recently completed a 2-year housing program in North Minneapolis through EMERGE. The program assisted her in enrolling in Social Security Disability and found suitable employment for her boyfriend. They were now ready to find a place of their own.
Early in their search, Jennifer came across Garden View Apartments with its numerous amenities, including the Courtesy program and community events. Having never lived at a rental property with onsite programming, Jennifer considered it to be a real benefit to both her family and the overall health of the community.
At Garden View Apartments, Courtesy staff patrols the property in the evenings and weekends addressing minor lease violations while building positive relationships with residents. Jennifer shares, “Courtesy is such a valuable service here. I don’t see much loitering in the parking lot, hear loud music blasting from neighbors’ apartments or kids running unsupervised because of Courtesy. When I do need to call them, I know they will handle the problem. Having Courtesy here gives me piece of mind.”
Over the last 3 years, Jennifer has participated in numerous community events, including National Night Out, barbeques, bingo, ice cream socials, movie nights and crafts. But, the most enjoyable has been the monthly community dinners that bring out a large proportion of the resident population. “The community events have given me the chance to meet other residents who have become friends. My oldest daughter babysits for a family she met through the community events.” explained Jennifer.
Active in the community, Jennifer has volunteered with community events geared towards resident youth, run the cotton candy machine at National Night Out and provided valuable program ideas and feedback to the Resident Services Coordinator. The community of Garden View Apartments with its community building approach has been an excellent fit for Jennifer and her family.