The Coalition for the Homeless is committed to upholding the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in every aspect of our work. Internally, we aim to cultivate an organizational culture that resists the traditions of white supremacy and other forms of discrimination and oppression of diverse populations embedded in the historical foundation of the United States, and which continue to fuel mass homelessness, economic injustice, and social inequity in its myriad forms. Accordingly, we welcome all by equitably dignifying individuals and families of marginalized races, ethnicities, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, ages, veteran statuses, socioeconomic statuses, justice involved, national origins, disabilities, household compositions, housing statuses, and/or belief systems.
Externally, we intend to interrupt discriminatory patterns that unjustly target or criminalize individuals, or in any way restrict access to essential resources and services based on any of the aforementioned classifications or identities – and to create more equitable, inclusive, and accessible policies and practices for everyone we serve.
Given that homelessness disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx New Yorkers, in particular, we recognize a moral obligation to be antiracist in our mission work. We aim to secure just services and resources by championing equity in public and private responses to homelessness and by centering the well-being and experiential knowledge of the individuals and families actually impacted by homelessness and housing precarity.
