How do I send a Community Message?

Community Messages are how village or community staff communicate with residents through the Lumin platform. They arrive on a resident's CareHub or Lumin App in a clear, friendly way — designed to be read at a glance and acted on without fuss.

Sending a message

1. Log in to the Lumin Community Management Portal (community.mylumin.net).
2. Open the Community Messages section.
3. Click New Message (or the + button, depending on your version).
4. Choose your audience:
   • All residents — every resident in your community
   • A group — a specific building, an interest group, a particular cohort
   • Individuals — one or more specific residents
5. Write your message.
6. Add an image or attachment if relevant.
7. Set a one-touch reply option (optional) — so residents can respond with a single tap (for example, "Got it!" or "I'll be there").
8. Choose when to send — now, or schedule for later.
9. Click Send. The message lands on the resident's CareHub or Lumin App immediately (or at the scheduled time).

Tracking who's seen it

In the Community Messages list, each sent message shows small status icons:

• Received — the message reached the resident's device
• Read — the resident has opened it
• Not yet read — the resident hasn't opened it yet
• Responded — the resident has used the one-touch reply or sent a reply You can click into any message to see exactly which residents are in each status. Useful for "did everyone see this?" follow-ups.

Good practice for Community Messages

A few things that have proven useful for villages getting the most out of Community Messages:

• Keep them short. Most residents will read these at a glance — a couple of sentences is usually enough.
• One topic per message. Bundling a weather update with a maintenance notice with an event reminder makes everything harder to act on.
• Use a one-touch reply where helpful. Even a simple "Got it!" gives residents agency and lets you track engagement.
• Schedule rather than send late at night. Lumin doesn't override Do Not Disturb on the device, but evening messages still create a gentler experience if scheduled for the morning.
• Use groups when relevant. A message to "everyone in Building C" is usually more useful than a message to everyone in the village.

What Community Messages aren't for

• Emergencies. For genuine emergencies, follow your village's emergency protocol — not a Community Message.
• One-on-one private conversations. While you can send to individuals, the Portal is a communication tool, not a chat platform. For private, ongoing conversations with a resident, the resident's family Supporters are usually the right channel.
• Maintenance dispatch. The platform has a separate maintenance request module (see the article on submitting maintenance requests).