CORE Relocation’s resident-centric approach to the challenge of shifting residents from an apartment community that is undergoing demolition or rehabilitation is generating high demand for its services from organizations across the U.S.
A recent project list for outside housing organizations includes five properties totaling 1,181 homes in Georgia, Southern California and Northern California; the department is currently working on a 58-home project in Georgia for Mercy Housing.
And that’s on top of 341 current relocations and more than 2,400 previous relocations at 16 National CORE communities.
“It comes down to empathy for our residents,” National CORE Vice President of Property Management and Relocation Courtney Richard said. “As an owner and operator of affordable housing communities, we know how traumatic these moves can be for our residents. That means we approach relocations with an understanding that helps ease the transition and supports them while they are in temporary homes.”
With a combined experience of more than 25 years in property management, the team has deep expertise in the Uniform Relocation Act, Rental Assistance Demonstration Act, Section 104D, temporary relocation and permanent relocation.
The relocations themselves include:
- In-place relocations: Residents are shifted among apartments as a development works through rehabilitating or repairing damaged units in small clusters.
- Permanent relocation: Residents need new homes when a development is being demolished.
- Temporary relocation: Residents need long-term, temporary homes when a development is rehabilitated from the ground up.
Part of the team’s expertise includes partnerships with hotels and other housing organizations to provide temporary housing needs of residents. The team has created a network of partners who can quickly assist, even when a relocation isn’t planned – such as when a fire forces residents out of their homes.
“Each type of relocation brings its own challenges and opportunities,” Relocation Project Manager Chris Paez said. “Some of the most challenging are the long-term temporary relocations. It can be hard for residents to be in temporary quarters for a half year or more. We offer support to ease that long time away from their homes.”
CORE Relocation also does something amazing for residents facing permanent relocation: It helps those who wish to find homes to buy using their relocation allotments for down payments. In just 2022 and 2023, more than 25 former residents have become homeowners due to relocation.
National CORE residents have praised the team for its considerate practices.
“National CORE’s Relocation team’s sincere empathy and true, heartfelt customer services have been a breath of fresh air,” a Sycamore Springs resident said. “They have gone the extra mile to make my family and I feel like VIPs.