Healthy Living in Unprecedented Times

It’s fair to say that 2020 has been a once in a lifetime adventure for the entirety of humanity. We’ve faced challenges and lifestyle adjustments that we never would have dreamed of, lived through civil unrest and watched the best of us shine through like beacons of hope. We’ve supported charities, donated blood and taken care of our neighbors in need. We’ve learned the true importance of sanitation and had our adaptability put to the test across every facet of our lives. And yet, through all of this we can say that our teams have somehow managed to keep the North Coast spark alive and shown that even in unprecedented times we can bring our healthy, happy lifestyles to the table.

Like all other companies, we were faced with the challenge of adjusting rapidly in an unknown situation at the beginning of last year. Acting far before any statewide measures were in place, our leadership streamlined a plan to protect our team members and our residents.

Protecting Our Teams

Our teams are like family here at North Coast and getting everyone to a safe spot was our immediate priority. We closed offices to the public, enacted unlimited sick leave, provided FMLA, and went on a regimented attack for routine sanitation. We also provided our front-line staff with Hero Bonuses to show that their efforts to keep our communities going didn’t go unnoticed.

Protecting Our Residents

Our residents hold this same level of importance so we put together a plan to keep them safe and supported as well. We closed at-risk amenities, provided rent support programs, waived late fees and held the line for our thorough sanitation practices. Some of our communities even started group pages where high risk individuals could ask for help with groceries, appointments etc. Our communities are held together by this neighborly glue and we saw those individuals in spades during these hard times.

Not Just Support

Providing a stabilizing framework and safe sanitation wasn’t the only move to be made. Basic support isn’t what makes a community thrive. Throughout the last 11 months we have watched our social programs evolve from fun routine events into creative moments of engagement. Food delivery, patio concerts, book clubs, zoom happy hours, digital cooking classes and contests were just some of the ways we tried to keep social interaction a part of our lives. Social engagement wasn’t our only priority as so many people in our communities were suffering. So we hosted blood drive appointments, setup charity donations and even managed to participate in food drives that grossed over 3,800 pounds of food to local food banks (that’s over 7,400 meals).

Other Moves for Living Green

During this time we have been looking forward into 2021 and vetting new programs to move us closer to a sustainable framework. Some projects we are looking forward to are the possibility of solar energy, participating in research around bee’s and hosting hives at several of our properties, installing EV charging stations, mapping out a carbon footprint plan to reduce our emissions and getting serious with certifications like LEED and ENERGY Star. It’s never been more important to make bold moves in the right direction and our GreenLiving program has kept its focus moving forward in an innovative way.

2020 will forever go down in history as one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced in modern times and there is no denying that it has changed the way we think and operate forever. However, we have seen the best of people shining through at every level of team member and resident and North Coast has never been as strong and focused as it is now. We look forward to carrying this strength with us into the near future as we make exciting moves to Live Green and bring back those face-to-face interactions that we have all missed so much.

To our staff, residents and leadership; thank you for being kind, showing strength and letting our true North Coast colors shine!