A fire, shooting, cyberattack, allegation of misconduct, or other crisis can put a housing organization under immediate pressure. Residents and employees need answers. Reporters may begin calling. Information—and misinformation—can spread online before leadership has a complete picture of what happened.
An organization may not have all the facts in those first moments, but it still needs to communicate. A strong crisis communications approach helps leaders respond quickly, show empathy, and become a reliable source of information while protecting private, restricted, and unverified details.
The following four-stage approach incorporates guidance from Jeff Battcher, founder and principal of Battcher Communications and board chair of the Macon Housing Authority, and David Oates, founder of Public Relations Security Service. Oates offers practical guidance on preparing and delivering crisis communications, while Battcher emphasizes leadership, judgment, and the trust an organization must build and preserve throughout its response.
These recommendations are also reflected in HAI Group’s Crisis Communications Checklist, which provides actionable steps to help housing organizations prepare, plan, execute, and recover.
Prepare: Build your crisis communications team
Effective crisis communication begins long before an incident. One of the most important steps a housing organization can take is to identify the people who will manage its response and ensure each person understands their role.
“Senior leadership must take an active role, because one or more of them will likely act as a spokesperson for specific audiences,” Oates said.
Depending on the situation, the crisis communications team may include executive leadership, communications, human resources, legal counsel, and the leaders of affected departments. The team should have a designated leader, backups for key roles, and a clear process for approving messages—even if a crisis occurs after hours, on a weekend, or during a holiday.
Those decisions may appear straightforward, but they become much harder when an incident is unfolding and leaders are working with incomplete information. Battcher’s guidance emphasizes the importance of establishing authority in advance so that leaders can make timely decisions without internal confusion delaying the organization’s response.
Team members must also be reachable. Maintain current contact information, including alternative ways to reach key decision-makers, and establish a standing virtual meeting link with a backup option in case of internet service disruption.
“The best crisis plan will not help if you cannot reach the people responsible for leading it,” Battcher said. “Assume at least one key decision-maker will be difficult to reach when you need that person most.”
Preparation also extends beyond the crisis team. Employees and board members should know who is authorized to speak publicly and where to direct media inquiries. Outside partners, including legal counsel, crisis communications advisers, first responders, and the organization’s insurance carrier, should be identified before their assistance is needed.
Housing organizations should also build relationships with local reporters as part of normal operations. Helping reporters understand the organization, its communities, and the complexities of public and affordable housing establishes a foundation that can make communication more effective during a crisis.
“The first time you meet a reporter should not be when the reporter is standing outside one of your housing communities covering a crisis,” Battcher said.
For organizational leaders, that relationship-building is about more than media access. It is part of establishing credibility before the organization faces a difficult situation. The trust built through open, consistent communication during normal operations can influence how the organization’s response is received during a crisis.
Plan: Practice responding before the pressure is real
A list of names and phone numbers is not, by itself, a crisis communications plan. The team must also think through how it would respond to the incidents most likely to affect the organization.
Potential crises are not limited to emergencies in a housing community. Fires, shootings, and serious accidents may draw immediate attention, but cyberattacks, employee misconduct, allegations of harassment, and other organizational issues can create reputational and operational risks of their own.
For each priority scenario, leaders should consider:
- Who would be affected
- What those audiences need to know
- Who would gather and verify information
- Which channels would be used to communicate
These discussions can reveal unanswered questions about authority and responsibilities before they become urgent. They also give leaders an opportunity to consider the more difficult decisions they may face, including who should speak for the organization, what can responsibly be shared, and how to balance transparency with legal, privacy, and operational concerns.
Prepare a holding statement
Organizations should also develop preapproved holding statements that can be adapted when an incident occurs. A holding statement allows the organization to acknowledge the situation, express concern for those affected, explain what it is doing, and set an expectation for the next update—even when many details remain unknown.
For example:
“We are aware of an incident at one of our housing communities. Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our residents and staff. We are gathering additional information and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
A holding statement should not speculate or attempt to fill gaps in the available information. Legal requirements, privacy considerations, personnel matters, and active investigations may also limit what can be disclosed.
“Not every fact can or should be released,” Battcher said. “Leaders should communicate as openly as possible without speculating or disclosing protected information.”
That requires judgment from leadership. Transparency does not mean sharing every detail; it means being forthcoming about what is known, acknowledging what remains uncertain, and showing that the organization is taking the situation seriously.
Execute: Become a trusted source of information
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When a crisis occurs, the organization’s first priority is to protect people and prevent further harm. Once the appropriate response team has been activated, leaders should begin gathering verified information and preparing to communicate.
Speed matters, but responding quickly does not mean responding carelessly. The organization’s first message does not need to answer every question. It should acknowledge what happened, share what has been confirmed, explain what the organization is doing, and tell audiences when they can expect another update.
“Plan on responding within an hour,” Oates said. “Today’s 24/7 social media and news cycle means any story—either by a news outlet or social media influencer—can turn any organization of any size into an outcast within moments.”
If an organization waits until every detail is known, other sources may fill the silence with speculation or inaccurate information. Battcher summarizes the leadership approach with a simple principle: “Tell it all. Tell it early. Tell it yourself.”
This principle does not mean disclosing private, protected, or unverified information. It calls on leaders to share as much verified information as circumstances responsibly allow and establish the organization as a credible source before others define the situation.
Oates similarly cautions communicators against going beyond what has been confirmed.
“Don’t speculate on the information you don’t know,” Oates said. “If you don’t have all the facts, give audiences an idea of what you’re doing to find out.”
Together, these approaches underscore that speed and accuracy are not competing priorities. Leaders must create the conditions for both by gathering reliable information, making timely decisions, and communicating honestly about what is known and what remains uncertain.
Residents and employees should be among the organization’s first communication priorities. Whenever possible, they should receive important information directly rather than learning about their homes or workplace from reporters or social media. Communicating with them first also signals that leadership understands who is most directly affected.
Employees need clear instructions about how to handle questions. Most employees do not want to speak with reporters, Oates noted; they want to know how to direct an inquiry to the appropriate person. Providing that guidance helps employees follow the plan and allows the organization to speak consistently.
The organization should communicate through the channels each audience already uses, whether that means texts, emails, website updates, social media, phone calls, resident notices, or in-person meetings. Messages should be coordinated, but they may need to be adapted to address the specific concerns of residents, employees, officials, partners, and reporters.
“The best outlet will be the one that your audience prefers,” Oates said. “Use the platform that best fits their communication preferences—not yours.”
Communication should continue as the situation develops. Even when there is nothing materially new to report, the organization can say so and tell audiences when the next update will be provided. Maintaining a predictable flow of information can reduce uncertainty, prevent rumors from filling the gaps, and demonstrate that leadership remains engaged.
Recover: Follow through after the immediate crisis
Crisis communication does not end when the immediate danger passes or media attention subsides. Residents, employees, and community partners may continue to need information about repairs, temporary housing, restored services, investigations, available support, or corrective actions.
“Continue communicating after the immediate crisis has passed,” Battcher said. “Do not disappear when the cameras leave.”
This stage allows leaders to demonstrate that the organization’s early expressions of empathy and concern were supported by action. They should explain what has changed, acknowledge those who assisted in the response, and continue addressing the needs of affected residents and employees.
Once the situation has stabilized, the crisis team should evaluate the response. Leaders should consider whether the right people were reached quickly, whether the team had the authority and information needed to act, and whether affected audiences received timely and consistent messages. They should also assess whether leadership decisions and organizational actions aligned with what was communicated publicly.
Questions, rumors, or operational gaps that emerged during the crisis should inform updates to the plan, training, contact lists, and message templates. Visible follow-through can strengthen the organization’s readiness while helping restore confidence among residents, employees, and community partners.
“Trust is built before a crisis,” Battcher said. “A crisis reveals how much trust an organization has earned.”
Preparing in advance, communicating early, exercising sound judgment, and following through after the immediate crisis can help housing organizations protect and, when necessary, rebuild that trust.
For more resources tailored to help housing agencies manage challenging situations, visit the HAI Group Crisis Communication Center.
