How Housing Providers Can Prepare Staff For Emergencies

In the event of a regional or national emergency, many types of specialized housing providers need to be equipped to provide immediate assistance to the vulnerable populations that they serve. Elderly housing, supportive housing, and transitional housing environments may face especially difficult hardships in the face of an emergency.

Get The Right Tools

Crisis communication tools are an indispensable part of your team’s resource kit to take on an emergency at one of your facilities. Staying constantly connected will help your team to prioritize getting assistance to the most vulnerable residents right away, and they’ll be able to keep one another apprised of individual progress in real-time. At a time when communication is more important than ever, housing providers need systems that are tested, reliable, and designed to continue operating in unfavorable conditions. Systems need to operate with clear signals, maintain long-range, and work consistently. Your staff’s ability to reach one another without interruption or failure can make an enormous difference in how they can manage a crisis.

Delegate Responsibility

Make sure that your organization’s emergency preparedness plan includes a clear chain of authority and responsibility. This will ensure that every team member knows what he or she is responsible for and who to talk to for help. If, for example, your plan includes maintaining a specified quantity of supplies, it should also make clear who is responsible for making sure that those emergency supplies are in stock and available when needed. Personnel’s individual job descriptions should include a reference to any specific responsibilities as detailed in the organization’s emergency preparedness plan.

Train Staff Well Before A Crisis Happens

Prepare your team by starting a training initiative oriented to crisis management. When staff is introduced to emergency preparedness early on in their employment, they’ll feel more capable to put their training into practice when the need arises. Training should include topics such as evacuation procedures, emergency building systems, power loss, and how to address medical emergencies onsite.

Crises and emergencies that housing providers contend with can challenge even though most hardworking and dedicated of staff. Give your team the resources that they need to demonstrate competency and mettle amid crisis by equipping them with comprehensive training, carefully drafted policies and plans, and clear instructions about their individual responsibilities. Plans need to prioritize maintaining constant communications, expediting help to your most vulnerable residents, and following safe operational guidelines during crisis management efforts.