TJonesSTMC
commented
4 years ago Right now, our housing system isn’t fair. There are entire areas without homes that can be rented or bought at reasonable prices, and that lack vital resources, like stores to buy nutritious food. This creates serious problems for all kinds of communities, but especially those where people of color with lower and moderate incomes live. The situation is getting worse as rents and homes prices steadily rise while incomes stagnate. These differences between places end up creating huge advantage for some people and real disadvantages for people of color.
As we have progressed in our journey, we have realized that racial inequity is a strong and constant undercurrent in all of these challenges, and there is a starkly disproportionate representation of people of color experiencing homelessness and institutionalization. We believe supportive housing can be a lasting and equalizing force that recognizes structural racism and addresses systemic policies that maintain these disparities. Racial equity, and an intentional focus on it, is essential to broader progress. The work demands that CSH look internally as well as externally through our work and our partners, make uncomfortable topics and conversations the norm, bring marginalized voices and perspectives to the table, and ensure that they have a real stake in charting the path forward. While we understand that race is just one element of inequity, we believe that if we can focus there and make progress, it will pay dividends for all and help address broader structural inequities. We also believe that people with lived experience are our most important stakeholders. We are committed to expanding our SpeakUp! program to create a larger and broader platform to impact local and national conversations by providing an opportunity for those who are closest to the root problems to set the course for the solution.