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Race Equity Framework for the CT Homelessness & Housing System

All of us at CSH are excited to share with you a report recently released by our New England Team that outlines the development of a Connecticut (CT) Race Equity Framework co-created with community partners and CSH via the Connecticut Collaborative for Race Equity.

Below is a synopsis from the CSH New England team.  We hope that you read this new report and take special note of the team’s thoughtful approach to shared leadership and centering the voices of Black Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPoC) in particular.

As you continue in your efforts to identify authentic and meaningful ways to build genuine collaborations with communities of color and other marginalized identity groups, we hope you look to this inclusive approach as a potential guide.

In health,

Pascale Leone

Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CSH


From the CSH New England Team:

We are delighted to share the Race Equity Framework for the Connecticut Homelessness and Housing System. The Framework, facilitated by CSH, was the result of a year of deep commitment and work by a cohort from housing and homelessness stakeholder organizations across the state. 

The cohort, named the Connecticut Collaborative for Racial Equity, sought to address racial disparity in the housing and homeless sector. The result was a collective learning, listening and human-center co-design process that shared power and lifted the voices of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPoC)—both providers and individuals with lived expertise of homelessness and housing instability. The collaboration was led by Saba Mwine, Jessica Park, and Monique Price-Taylor of CSH. We encourage you to visit the acknowledgements section of the Framework to view all who contributed. 

The Framework summarizes the findings from the design process into four themes with accompanying recommendations for change.

Representative Leadership 

Recommendations: 

• Retool Recruitment & Promotion Practices with an Equity Focus 

• Create and Maintain a Race Equity Culture 

Pathways to Resources 

Recommendations: 

• Create a Racial Equity Collective Impact Effort 

• Funding Innovation for BIPoC Homelessness Prevention 

Safe Place for my Race 

Recommendations: 

• Develop A Restorative Justice Practice within the Housing and Homelessness 

Sector 

• Engage in a Racial Equity Evaluation or Certification Program 

Building Racial Transformers 

Recommendations: 

• Develop a Racial Equity Toolkit for Agencies 

• Establish a Racial Equity Peer Network 

The CSH New England team has received funding to support the second cohort of the Collaborative for Racial Equity. Additionally, we received funds to provide pass-through capacity-building grants to participating organizations to operationalize one or more of the recommendations. The initial and new cohorts will work together over the next year to build on the groundwork established by the Framework.  

We look forward to continuing to engage with individuals, organizations, communities, and systems in Connecticut and across New England to use this Framework to address racism and racial disparities. We share the Framework and process with the fervent hope it contributes to the conversation and actions to eliminate disparity and promote racial equity in your communities.

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