'Kindness is contagious too': The neighbours living in close confines spreading love, not germs

Neighbours in apartment buildings are coming together like never before, offering to do shopping for older residents, pick up prescriptions, deliver mail and groceries for those self-isolating and phoning people who live alone to check they’re OK.

While many are keeping a physical distance as per the coronavirus crisis guidelines, they say the pandemic is helping create much closer social and community bonds, with high-rise neighbours now often connecting for the first time.

“It’s all about coming together in a time of need,” says Cass Spong, who’s been running errands for more vulnerable owners or tenants in her Melbourne complex in Abbotsford, and letting them know there’s always a friendly voice available on the phone.

“Some people are having to isolate, or they may have been financially impacted or may be worrying and fearful. It’s now all about setting up connections and growing our community to make it stronger.

“I had one elderly neighbour phone me up saying our offers to help had made her cry, and how reassured she’d felt to know there were people who cared out there. Kindness is contagious too!”

The coronavirus is now having a huge impact on apartment blocks throughout the nation – but not in the way many thought it might.

Residents in one of the biggest towers in Sydney have been similarly sending out notes to those who’ve returned from overseas and having to self-isolate as a result, or older or sick people, saying they’d be happy to shop for them, put out their garbage and pick up mail.

“I know of people who say they can go into an apartment block and they never talk to neighbours, or no one even says ‘good morning’ in the lift,” says Marilyn Robertson, the chair of Horizon in Darlinghurst.

“But it’s wonderful when a thriving community forms and everyone looks out for each other. That can now be a lovely part of apartment living.”

Advances in technology are obviously helping the flow of information through buildings and allow the broadcast of offers of help. One strata services platform, Our Body Corp (ourbodycorp.com.au), has seen a massive spike in the number of residents using its noticeboard.

Normally only used for communicating strata issues and announcements, it’s now being used, more and more, to relay a willingness to help others, and heart-warming stories of community camaraderie.

Co-founder James Ellis reports that the noticeboards of the hundreds of buildings who subscribe across Australia are now lighting up with offers of help.

“It’s very touching,” he says. “We now have a lot of people working from home in their apartments wanting to help the more elderly residents, or more vulnerable, or those self-isolating. One group in East Melbourne even got together to repair all the bicycles being kept on the property and then donating those that were no longer wanted to charity.

“So often body corporates can be adversarial places, with conflict. But now it all seems to be communication about help, which is very gratifying to see.”

On another of the strata administration and communication systems, Stratabox (stratabox.com.au), the same thing is also beginning to happen. “We’re now seeing lots of discussion about how to help and we expect that to take off in the next few weeks,” says co-founder Paul Chevrot.

Meanwhile, at the 42-townhouse complex in Abbotsford, residents with special skills are also offering to help those in need. Adam Promnitz, for instance, the chair of the body corporate, says everyone has been letting people know they’re keen to help at any time.

“My wife is pregnant and our child has a medical problem, and a doctor who lives here has been phoning to help us with advice,” Promnitz says. “Everyone knows if anything goes wrong, there’s people they can contact, which is a wonderful feeling.”

In Perth’s CBD, apartment owner Christina Burt is organising residents eager to help with tracking down toilet paper for others, and extra sanitising of the unit building.

In Sydney, events organiser Len Hashem is putting out flyers throughout her building offering everyone help, and delivering them to other community hubs. “A lot of people are doing it tough and this is about reaching out,” she says. “We need to send out messages of love and help to help quash the negativity and fear, and just be kinder to each other.”

When we do come out the other side of this crisis, some believe that such a spirit of caring in our multi-residential buildings will help create stronger communities in the future. Architect Kylie Legge, whose passion is better place-making, says, “Kindness at a distance which we are practising today is a good investment for the future.

“The work we’re doing now will mean we’re helping build more connected communities that feel safer and more human.”