From the quality of living quarters, to the safety of the surrounding neighborhood, and everything in between, we understand that home is a family’s most important space. Safe and stable housing has been proven to be an integral factor in one’s overall well-being — and property management companies have an important role to play in supporting the health of their tenants. At WPD Management, we pride ourselves on taking a proactive, hands-on and compassionate approach to building relationships with our over 3,500 residents.
According to the National Institute of Health, various aspects of housing — including affordability, stability, quality and safety — represent a key social determinant of health. As property managers, we know the human component of housing well. Housing is much more than four walls. It reflects structural components of a community, such as social, economic, and public policies, as well as education, income, and race. Through the availability and quality of housing, the health and well-being of entire communities can be shaped.
WPD is committed to building strong and effective relationships with residents, the communities we serve, team members, and clients. In doing so, we provide the highest standards in multi-family housing and property management. We were founded to provide high quality, effective property management for communities on Chicago’s south side and believe that embedding our business in the communities we serve creates better outcomes for our partners and our residents.
Our core mission statement is “Above all else, CARE.” which motivates us to provide high quality, hands-on service to our tenants. While most third-party property management companies do not operate out of the neighborhoods they serve, WPD is a proud Woodlawn community business. This direct connection to the community allows us to access the knowledge necessary to successfully serve specific communities and their residents.
We see the value of investing in our properties, as it can spur improvements by other property management companies to keep up with the quality of product. In some cases, WPD is operating at a larger scale with multiple properties on the same block, like at 76th and Stuart, where we are able to create a larger impact. When we fully renovate a location, we look to improve the surrounding area through landscaping and restoring greenspace where possible. While our most intensive full-renovations take time to complete, we do our best to restore them to original quality for the next tenants.
Our team is very intentional in identifying how to function most effectively within the markets and communities we serve, treating each block of each neighborhood as an individual ecosystem, as the environment of Chicago changes on a block-by-block basis, especially on the South Side. We’re proud to operate alongside the local businesses that are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods, with most of our maintenance techs living within 15 minutes of the properties they serve, ensuring quick response times. We believe this contributes to more positive, personalized experiences for residents than those from management companies that operate across the entire city and into the suburbs, companies that may take a more high-level, one-size-fits-all approach.
WPD Management encourages and supports long term residents, which requires continuous re-investment into our properties and direct, sustained engagement with tenants to learn more about their needs and wants. Our long term residents benefit from the stability of consistent, high-quality housing, which can contribute to physical well-being, and alleviate the stressors that come with unstable housing.
In an effort to foster a safe environment, our residents can reach WPD property managers 24 hours a day to ensure their needs are met in a timely manner. Many of WPD’s managed buildings have secured entrances, cameras, and security officers and we actively engage with community groups, neighbors and local police to cement strong relationships in the community. Over the years, we have fostered a relationship with My Block, My Hood, My City, an organization that, along with providing opportunities and experiences for Chicago youth, works to re-establish the presence of block clubs as one of the pillars of safe and healthy communities. This summer we will join MBMHMC in a community clean-up surrounding some of our properties.
WPD understands the importance of our role in the community, and the responsibility that comes with being the point of contact for the residents of over 4,000 units. We are honored to serve Chicago’s south and west side communities, and look forward to continuing to provide the attention and care it takes to protect and support the health and wellbeing of all our residents.