Goals and Strategy
Crestwood turned to Landis to help ease the transition of locating a facility to the neighborhood of Pleasant Hill. That community was mobilized against having a mental health group home within its city limits. Simultaneously, Landis also sought to positively position Crestwood as a trusted provider of services as part of a comprehensive community-focused and mental health PR campaign.
Tactics
Landis battled the case of NIMBY in Pleasant Hill by creating open forums and community meetings that allowed residents to voice concerns while communicating comprehensive and succinct messaging around the services to be offered at the group home. Proactively, Landis set up editorial board meetings with local news organizations to tell the “real story” behind Crestwood and the group home model in general. At the same time, Landis worked with city/county officials and neighborhood groups to educate the community about the benefits of CBH. The goal was to highlight that the addition of a facility would be a help, not a hindrance, to the community.
Landis placed success stories in media throughout California about CBH’s programs and mission, helping to position the group as a premier provider of services. A comprehensive expert program also presented the CBH spokesperson as a credible and knowledgeable expert on mental health, allowing him to become a trusted media source.
Results
The City of Pleasant Hill approved CBH’s request to open the facility. In addition, media coverage (which included San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay newspapers, local radio/TV) was uniformly positive and generated increased awareness of CBH with important sales contacts.