March 23, 2020

Maintaining Business Continuity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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As we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic – and the uncertainty and changes it brings – we know you need clear and practical guidance and valuable resources for business continuity.

We've compiled a variety of our most relevant Ready to Respond Tools, which we developed to help affordable housing organizations like yours:

Make your buildings more resilient
Prepare your staff to handle emergencies
Ensure your residents remain safe
Ensure business continuity during and after a crisis

Our full library of Ready to Respond Tools is available to you free of charge as a resource for the entire affordable housing community. If you have questions about the toolkit, please contact Laurie Schoeman at lschoeman@enterprisecommunity.org.

Ready to Respond Crisis Toolkit

If you're looking for other information, COVID-19 response page is current with the latest updates on the coronavirus as well as our recommendations to help protect communities, residents and landlords.

Business Continuity Guidance (Insurance, Vendors, Payments)

Business Continuity Chief - Remains aware of the organization’s cash needs and insurance coverage, maintains vital business records, and oversees important financial and operational matters
Benefits & Reimbursement Guide - Helps organizations navigate the various sources available for post-crisis funding
Insurance Coverage Guide - Helps verify if an organization's insurance coverage is sufficient to protect the organization, buildings and residents in the event of a crisis or interruption in business activities
Insurance Coverage Worksheet - Important information about an organization's various insurance policies to track existing coverage and identify gaps
Vendor-Partner Contact List - Provides information for key vendors and partners related to an organization’s business continuity needs
Payment Card Guide - Describes the purpose and benefits of using payment cards for crisis-related purchases
Payment Card Worksheet - Tracks the status of payment cards and staff with payment card access
Office Shutdown Checklist - Guides staff through an appropriate shutdown of equipment prior to an evacuation or emergency event
Vital Records Guide - Best practices for collecting, organizing, storing and protecting records that are vital to business operations
Vital Records Worksheet - Helps organizations prioritize their list of vital documents. It includes a recommended list of records to compile and should be customized to fit the needs of the organization
Emergency Operations Center Guide - Tips and best practices for identifying and setting up an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – a centralized operations location during a crisis
IT Continuity Checklist - Guides organizations in protecting critical IT equipment
IT Equipment Inventory Worksheet - Tracks critical IT and telecommunications equipment

External Communications Guidance

External Communications Guide - Best practices for communicating with media and other external stakeholders before, during and after a crisis
Staff Communications Guide - Helps organizations develop a multi-pronged communications strategy to send and receive information to and from staff members before, during, and after a crisis

Crisis Resources for Residents

Resident Flyer Guide - How to produce flyers to update residents and provide crisis preparedness information
Emergency Preparedness Flyer Template - Created in Microsoft Word, should be completed by the Resident Engagement Team Leader to notify residents about taking the necessary steps to self-prepare
Emergency Update Flyer Template - Created in Microsoft Word, should be completed by the Resident Engagement Team Leader to notify residents of emergency updates
Resident Services Contact List - Provides contact information for emergency contractors and agencies that support crisis recovery for residents
Resident Survey - Gathers critical contact and special needs information plus communication preferences so the organization can reach and support residents effectively
Floor Captain Guide - Describes the role of floor captains and how they can help support residents in crisis preparedness and response