By Ann Walsh, Senior Vice President of Operations
Important Information For Florida Residents: In late February, we communicated information regarding a new weapon policy. Due to the complexities of state regulations, we are delaying the implementation of this new policy to early summer. The delay is ONLY in Florida. All other communities will proceed as planned.
One of the reasons so many of you choose to live in a Lifespace community is for peace of mind and security. While there will always be things beyond our control, we must do our best to reduce risks that could put you or our team members in harm.
One operational change that you have likely heard your executive director discuss is a new Weapon-Free Policy. While we have had a Weapon-Free Workplace Policy for team members and restrictions in our health centers for quite some time, after an incident at one of our communities last year and the increase in gun-related violence across the U.S., we felt it imperative to reconsider our policy for residential living.
Understanding the sensitivity and personal perspective many of you have, nearly a year ago we asked members from each community’s resident council for their feedback on adopting a responsible and transparent guideline to weapons management.
Sharon Margolis, resident council president at Abbey Delray South, was involved in the process and is a strong advocate of implementing a policy for residential living, explaining that it takes a layer of uncertainly out of day-to-day life.
“For Abbey Delray South, I believe a policy on weapons will help restore their peace of mind,” explained Margolis. “When you live at a safe community like ours, there is no need to have a weapon for protection or otherwise. I truly feel secure here and I am happy Lifespace is committed to putting the well-being of residents first.”
The Lifespace philosophy is rooted in supporting our residents to live their lives as risk-free as possible, and a new policy directly supports that obligation. If you have questions, concerns or feedback regarding the weapon policy, please reach out to your respective community leaders.