At Clara Brown Commons we emphasize the connective tissue within the apartment building. Loving your neighbor (or maybe even just feeling safe around them) starts with knowing their names.

That’s why we actually pay residents to learn the names of their neighbors!

We use a simple but brilliant tool borrowed from The Art of Neighboring, an insightful book written by our friends Dave Runyon and Jay Pathek. We give residents a refrigerator magnet with space to write the names of their neighbors on a tic-tac-toe. Complete the magnet and get a $50 gift card! Add children’s names: another $25!

My colleague Cha’Rel Wright tells me she has been giving out a lot of gift cards and asked if we’re okay spending so much money. Absolutely—a great investment in Housing That Heals at CBC!