Working on a Building At Park Haven Apartments, an affordable community owned and managed by Dominium, the learning center has made a difference for many residents.
“Many low-income families [were] not aware of their potential in the community because their main focus was day-to-day survival,” Williams explains. “This resulted in a high number of police calls and domestic abuse, high unemployment, and a lack of education and community involvement.”
The 176-unit affordable community was renovated in 2000 to include better amenities and the community learning center. The 3,354-square-foot stand-alone building, which cost approximately $500,000, is centrally located within the community.
Today, residents have more pride in their community and get involved in its upkeep and maintenance. They’re also paying rents (ranging from $468 to $810) on time, thanks in part to programs offered at the center in budgeting and job skills. “Families are more hopeful for the future,” Williams says. “The value is immeasurable.”
Small Space, Big Benefits But big results don’t require big spaces. Many developers achieve similar improvements in resident life and property management by converting just one residential unit to a learning center.
In Los Angeles‘ Baldwin Hills and Baldwin Village neighborhoods, crime was a serious problem. The one-square-mile area, policed by a four-person law enforcement patrol, logged 10 homicides in a six-month period.
Despite the crime, Learning Links Centers bought five multifamily properties consisting of 104 units in the area. After the upgrade, one unit at each property was taken offline to accommodate a learning resource center with a computer room, classroom, and mini-library. The developer also made several units available to teachers at a discounted rate in exchange for teaching and tutoring at the on-site facility.
“Even though we took several units off the market, we’ve lowered our maintenance costs because residents take pride in the building,” says George Pino, Learning Links Centers’ chief financial officer. “They take care of a lot of repairs themselves.”
Adds CEO Joe Killinger: “Our vacancy rate is down quite a bit, too, because people want to live here now.”
While lower maintenance and better rental payment are definite upsides to learning centers, Killinger and Pino also like working for the greater good. “It sounds altruistic, but it works,” Pino asserts.
Since Learning Links Centers’ upgraded properties re-opened, the area’s crime rate has gone down 13 percent. Thanks to improved tenant involvement and advocacy, the L.A. Police Department expanded the community policing initiative to include 16 officers.