In a recent installment of Entrata's Resident Experts webinar series, Virginia Love, Industry Principal at Entrata, welcomed Jennifer Cassidy, President of Property Operations and Experience at Cardinal Management Group. Cassidy, a seasoned leader with over two decades in the student housing industry, is renowned for her focus on driving revenue, maximizing expense efficiencies, and building long-term asset value. However, the conversation transcended traditional business metrics, centering on Cassidy's profound commitment to people-centric leadership and her groundbreaking work in student mental wellness.

The Genesis of a Movement: Addressing Student Mental Health

Virginia Love opened by commending Cassidy and her counterparts for bringing the critical topic of student mental health to the forefront. Cassidy shared that the urgency became undeniable around 2021-2022, following the initial shock of the pandemic. While the student housing industry collaboratively navigated the immediate safety and operational challenges of COVID-19, a subsequent increase in serious incidents—including gun violence and suicides—underscored a deeper, burgeoning mental health crisis among students.

This realization prompted Cassidy to reach out to peers, confirming a widespread concern across the industry. This collective recognition led to the formation of the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition, a collaborative effort involving Cardinal Management Group and twenty-four other student housing operators. The coalition's aim was to leverage the industry's collaborative spirit, previously seen during the pandemic, to proactively address student mental health needs.

Unpacking the Challenges: Insights from Research

The coalition's initial step was to conduct a comprehensive survey to establish a benchmark for student mental well-being. The findings revealed the following significant challenges:

• Loneliness Epidemic: Echoing broader societal trends, isolation emerged as a major contributing factor to students' mental health struggles, exacerbated by the pandemic.
• Lack of Community Connection: A surprising statistic showed that only one in four students felt a strong connection to their residential community.
• Awareness vs. Engagement: While over 70% of students were aware of social opportunities within their communities, many weren't actively participating.
• Uncertainty of Support: 40% of students were unsure how their residential community could even support their mental well-being.
• Widespread Professional Treatment: A striking 52% of student respondents reported having received some form of mental health treatment from a professional, with a significant majority (five out of six) receiving it off-campus or prior to university. This highlights the substantial existing need.

Cassidy noted a positive trend, with some benchmarks for overwhelm and anxiety improving by 6-7 percentage points from 2022 to 2023, suggesting a recovery from social isolation. However, she emphasized that ample "low-hanging fruit" remains for multifamily operators to further engage residents.

Immediate, Practical Actions for Properties

Cassidy outlined several actionable steps properties can take to foster environments that support resident mental wellness:

1. Utilize the Postvention Toolkit: The coalition, in partnership with the JED Foundation, developed a postvention toolkit, a guidebook for on-site team members on how to handle crises and access resources. Operators whose companies participate in the coalition should ensure their teams have access to this vital resource.
2. Encourage Healthy Habits: Promote behaviors associated with thriving individuals, such as getting fresh air, good sleep, and preparing meals. The coalition has even produced "healthy habits videos" – short, engaging content tailored for students' attention spans – to encourage these positive routines. This also involves promoting amenities (like green spaces or community kitchens) in a way that highlights their mental wellness benefits, rather than just their size.
3. Intentional Event Planning: Focus on events that genuinely promote connection and well-being, rather than just large social gatherings. Smaller, more intimate events like cooking classes or study sessions can foster deeper engagement and cater to diverse needs, particularly for students who may be struggling with social interaction.
4. Open Dialogue & Active Listening: The simplest, yet most impactful, action is to "say hi, how are you?" and engage in authentic conversations. Team members should make eye contact and be attuned to residents' patterns. It's about "listening to solve, not to respond," recognizing that a seemingly minor issue to staff might be a major stressor for a resident.

Expanding Beyond Campus: The Role of Off-Campus Housing

Cassidy highlighted the distinct role of off-campus housing. While on-campus living often provides a "bubble" of visible resources, off-campus students may be less aware of available support. She stressed the importance of proactively partnering with universities to promote awareness of on-campus resources (counseling, financial aid, tutoring) to off-campus residents. This transforms off-campus housing from a competitor to an extension of the university's support system.

The Future of Mental Health Advocacy in Student Housing

Looking ahead, Cassidy expressed excitement about several trends:

• Developer Engagement: A growing focus among developers on building design that positively impacts mental health. This includes ensuring access to natural light (avoiding "buried bedrooms") and creating functional, inviting spaces like yoga and meditation rooms, which align with student priorities for fitness and study.
• On-Demand Support Services: The emergence of partnerships with companies providing on-demand mental health support services, offering a direct lifeline to students. Data from these services will provide invaluable insights into common issues and further refine community-level programming.
• Technology as an Enabler: The advancement of technology to automate routine administrative tasks. This frees up on-site teams, allowing community managers to evolve from generalists to specialists, focusing more on hospitality, customer service, and genuine resident engagement. This shift promises a more enjoyable job for staff and a better overall experience for residents.

Supporting student mental wellness not only helps your residents, but can also act as a key differentiator between you and the competition. By fostering authentic connections, leveraging data, and embracing innovative approaches to community design and technology, multifamily operators can create environments where students thrive, leading to higher satisfaction, stronger retention, and a more robust NOI.