Client storytelling is a staple of the nonprofit business model, ever present in advocacy, clinic tours, fundraising—and news articles like the one you are reading right now.
10.26.20
It’s no surprise that the greatest burdens of a global pandemic fall on Black and Brown people. American public health crises, including homelessness, have always hurt these communities hardest. Racism was woven into our public policies and institutions well before the knee of law enforcement launched a national reawakening to it.
White people like me are disproportionately represented among those who are healthy and housed. We are less likely to die prematurely. When compared with Black and Brown people, whites endure far less violence and jail time, earn higher wages, and have many more options for where we live and work.
Health Care for the Homeless is similar to the vast majority of American non-profits: Our administrative and clinical leadership is primarily white, while most of the people we serve (85%) and the staff who work with them (64%) are Black and Brown. Our systems and structures, created primarily by white leaders, are fundamentally flawed. We must evaluate, redesign and reimagine them.
Earlier this year, we at Health Care for the Homeless promised you, our community, to pursue racial equity and inclusion in all we do—from clinical care to culture and operations. This is not the work of a month or a year, but rather a reorientation that will make us a better, more effective organization and further our mission to end homelessness.
We have begun this work in earnest. Hold us accountable. In addition to the service and advocacy you make possible, you should expect to see clear evidence of our racial equity work in the months and years ahead. We are committing time and resources to ensure that our efforts will succeed. If nothing changes, nothing changes.
Join me on the journey. Read, study, listen and commit to the hard work needed to build a just society. Engage with others through our Community of Practice discussions and Facebook group.
Some have asked if a strategic commitment to racial equity is a departure from our mission. I last fielded inquiries like this three years ago when the agency pledged to build housing for those we serve. The questions are interrelated, the answers the same: Racial equity, like affordable housing, is a fulfillment of our mission. We’ll never end homelessness without achieving both.
Client storytelling is a staple of the nonprofit business model, ever present in advocacy, clinic tours, fundraising—and news articles like the one you are reading right now.
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition (TRAC) has been the driving force in championing trans rights policy changes in Maryland. Due to stigma and structural discrimination, transgender people—particularly transgender people of color—experience high rates of homelessness. Following the implementation of the Trans Health Equity Act in January, we talked with TRAC leadership about their work and community.
Since starting in January 2022, REI Health Specialist Arie Hayre-Somuah, LMSW, MPH has worked with our clinical teams to identify health disparities and move us closer to health equity. This year, she is turning her focus to the topic of health literacy.
We are delighted to announce the promotion of Hanna Mast from Senior Communications Manager to Director of Communications. Get to know more about her work in the Q&A below!