Wakeland Housing
Wakeland Housing ensures 24/7 access to medication and other deliveries with Parcel Pending by Quadient lockers
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation, a leading developer of affordable housing in California, has been delivering high-quality residential developments that address the needs of the communities they serve since 1998. To date, they have built and operated 7,500 affordable homes at 54 properties throughout the state.
| Challenge | Solution | Results |
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| An important goal for Wakeland Housing is not only to build affordable housing but also to create a community. To help create a more connected community, Wakeland offers onsite services and assistance to its residents. Knowing that a portion of their residents require regular medication deliveries for their health and wellness, Wakeland wanted to ensure that residents receive their medications and other deliveries in a safe and secure manner. | Since 2017, Wakeland has installed smart lockers from Parcel Pending by Quadient in all their new developments. The parcel lockers provide residents with a safe, secure, and convenient way to retrieve their package deliveries. | With smart locker technology, residents have security and peace of mind knowing that their packages will get to them safely, and property managers save time previously spent tracking down packages. The properties also benefit by not having piles of packages cluttering lobbies or doorsteps. |
“People-first” mentality means always improving community services
In their ongoing commitment to building and operating cost-efficient housing communities with superior on-site programs and services for residents, Wakeland sought out parcel locker solutions from Parcel Pending by Quadient. Parcel lockers provide residents with a safe, secure, and convenient way to retrieve their packages on demand 24/7.
“Wakeland is really all about the people. We not only provide affordable rent and high-quality homes that people can afford on their budget but also meaningful services that help residents achieve a better quality of life. Many of our residents–a diverse group of veterans, seniors, low-income working families, and people who have experienced homelessness–require ongoing medications for their health and wellness. We needed to ensure that residents recieve their medications and other deliveries in a safe and secure manner,” explained Elaine Camuso, Wakeland’s Director of Communications.
Parcel lockers for resident and property management peace of mind
| “When we opened our largest property in downtown San Diego in 2017, we knew that having Parcel Pending lockers onsite would provide peace of mind to residents knowing that their packages would get to them safely.” |
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| Elaine Camuso, Director of Communications, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation |
Since 2017, a total of 21 Parcel Pending locker towers have been installed in new Wakeland properties, which number nine thus far. Each location has 24-36 lockers that are centrally located on the ground floor in main lobbies of the buildings, which provide ADA accessibility for those who need it. Residents either sign up or are pre-registered for the use of the lockers, which are available free of charge. Delivery notifications are sent via email or text to residents along with a PIN or barcode for package retrieval. A free mobile app also allows residents to receive delivery alerts, manage packages, and retrieve deliveries on demand.
Some residents, who may find it daunting to use the lockers’ unfamiliar technology, receive additional assistance from onsite staff or case managers. “Our staff are knowledgeable about how the lockers work and are able to easily explain and encourage their use with residents. One senior, who was a bit technophobic, had a package waiting for him in the locker for two weeks before he received a call from his estranged sister to ask if he liked the present she sent for his birthday. With help from his case manager, he was able to find the delivery information in his emails and retrieve his package, which contained food and items from his childhood. He was incredibly moved and choked up, and the delivery led to a reunification with his sister. Who knew what a parcel locker could do?!” remarked Camuso.
What parcel lockers can do
“In addition to the security and peace of mind that packages are safe, there’s also a streamlining effect on the interior of the buildings. We pride ourselves on having incredibly nice-looking communities that anyone would want to live in, so it helps that there aren’t piles of packages cluttered in the lobby or outside doors,” continued Camuso. “Another benefit of the Parcel Pending lockers is that it takes some of the burden off staff for tracking down packages for residents. With the smart locker technology, property managers have all the tools to easily see where packages are and can notify residents if packages have been sitting there for a while.”
Property managers and residents alike have provided good feedback on the Parcel Pending lockers. “Some residents have shared how happy they were to have it, especially during the pandemic because it minimized contact during package retrieval. Then some of our more tech-savvy residents talked about how they like being able to track their packages and get notifications by text and email, and then follow up with the vendor if they didn’t get any notifications at all,” shared Camuso.
Strong partnership to ensure continued package security
| “This is really a win-win partnership with Parcel Pending – our residents benefit from the ease and safety the lockers provide while Parcel Pending continues to expand in the multifamily housing market. It feels good to be able to provide people with a safe place, with superior services, to call home.” |
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| Elaine Camuso, Director of Communications, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation |
Wakeland will continue to install Parcel Pending lockers in all their new developments, approximately five planned for this year alone, and will be expanding outside of California as well. Discussions are also underway for installing lockers in existing properties.
Quadient, the leading provider of innovative package management solutions for multifamily communities, was founded with a simple goal in mind: to make package delivery easy and intuitive for everyone. With over 70 million packages delivered annually, Parcel Pending by Quadient offers a wide range of solutions that ensure safe, secure, and on-demand resident package retrieval.
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