Creating Community Engagement

During 2022, Niam piloted a project aimed at increasing community engagement in our residential homes in Silkeborg, Denmark. By offering social activities for our tenants, we hope to create a great neighbourhood feeling.

In the residential areas in Silkeborg, where Niam owns several properties, the supply of housing has increased at a fast pace in recent years, leaving potential tenants with many options when choosing a new home. To stand out on the housing market and create housing where residents can thrive and want to stay, Niam has together with one of our property managers initiated a community engagement project.

The project has been led by a Community Manager, who has been organizing social activities with the tenants and engaging with them on social media on topics such as general livelihood issues, building maintenance and requests for fun activities. Examples of activities carried out include communal dinners, craft workshops, knitting cafés, cafés for people on parental leave, a book club, a common work-from-home work-place as well as parties related to different holidays. During the winter the residents gathered to watch the world championship in football.

The aim of the activities and project is to create community among the residents and connect people with each other. 

Although it is too soon to see any quantitative long-term results from the project, we consider the project as a success already. The participation in activities has been high, and the response from the residents has been very positive. Therefore, the Community Manager that originally was employed by the property manager, will now join Niam, in an effort to scale up the project to more residential areas within the portfolio.