Racial Equity and Inclusion

The Racial Equity Initiative seeks to help HDC members apply a racial equity lens to their practices in order to achieve a more just, dignified, connected, and accommodating King County. 

Racial Equity Initiative Mission Statement

Background

In 2013, the Housing Development Consortium (HDC) and its Resident Services Affinity Group, in collaboration with the City of Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR), launched a project utilizing HUD FHAP Partnership Funds with a goal of providing HDC members with tools to counter racism within the affordable housing community. 

Race - Challenge Your Perspective

Since then, HDC has been engaged in an intentional effort to advance racial equity within the affordable housing sector of King County. We have started this process through educational and organizational development programming.

Primary Project Components:

Recruiting Diversity Task Force: HDC’s Recruiting Diversity Task Force is charged with providing recommendations to HDC and making the connections necessary to ensure racial equity is a cornerstone of the organization’s vision that all people in King County live with dignity in safe, healthy and affordable homes within communities of opportunity.

Within the broader goal of racial equity, the task force in its current state is focused on recruiting a diverse workforce in the affordable housing sector and ingraining the principles of racial equity into HDC’s member organizations to increase POC retention and mobility throughout the sector.

Racial Equity Toolkit: HDC developed a resource toolkit that provides an analysis of racial equity in the affordable housing sector as well as foundational information of racial equity. In the fall of 2014 and winter 2015, HDC hosted a series of workshops for organizational members to learn how to utilize this toolkit, as well as the HDC-developed tools (i.e., Racial Equity Self-Assessment Tool, Organizational Plan Template, Policy Impact Tool).

The toolkit was designed with the following tenets in mind:

  1. Education on racial equity
  2. Identification of racial issues in organizations
  3. Creation of a plan for change
  4. Implementation of the tools for the future

Racial Equity Task Force:  During the HUD grant period of 2013 – 2015, HDC hosted a number of task force meetings with key member organizations to internally improve racial equity practices. These events served to outline a strategic plan that provides the baseline structure for the initiative, while also serving as a platform to discuss the most efficient tools to use to combat inequity.

Racial Equity Lens: Through Learn at Lunches, Affinity Group meetings, and other events, HDC is continuing to implement a racial equity lens on all of its actions. These events help to ensure that the racial equity project creates an impact in all aspects of HDC’s work

Organizational Plan for Racial Equity: Organizational members of HDC are invited to develop an Organizational Plan for Racial Equity. With the support of HDC staff, members have the opportunity to determine organizational commitments and develop an action plan to move racial equity within their organization. We have developed a template that is geared to develop achievable commitments and a relevant strategy to advance racial equity over the course of one year. Please feel free to use the  Organizational Plan Handout for creating your plan.

Promising Practices Profiles : Member organizations that have made great strides in implementing racial equity work can create a profile of a practice that has been successful within their organization. The goal is to help share knowledge and experience with others to build stronger, more sustainable affiliates, which will help to create stronger communities. If you would like to share a promising practice for racial equity with us, please fill out a Racial Equity Promising Practices Capture Form

Feel free to take a look at some of the Promising Practices our members have been working on so far!

       This practice involves cohorts of staff who participate in a training curriculum developed by the agency that focuses on the relationship between racism and poverty to make a lasting impact both inside the agency and externally in the communities they serve.

      This practice describes the process of gathering buy-in from board and staff to develop anti-oppression and equity goals, analysis, and accountability within various facets of the agency’s work.

Key Members Involved:

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