Walk the Talk

We are committed to these principles and include them in our corporate value statements, but this year we are going deeper than our annual Fair Housing training.

In January, all staff had comprehensive training on how to recognize our unconscious biases (we all have them) and how they can create discriminatory behavior that we are consciously unaware of. However, recognizing that these biases exist is just the first step. We also learned ways adjust our automatic patterns of thinking to be more open and accepting, allowing us to better connect with people whose experiences are different than our own.

In February, our training was in diversity awareness which expanded our definition of diversity and allowed us to explore the distinctions between affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The goal of this was to increase our cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural fluency.

As providers of affordable housing, it is necessary for us to recognize historical injustices and to help ensure that everyone receives the resources, support and opportunities they need. It is not about equality which assumes that everyone starts from the same place, but rather equity which is about equal outcomes and assumes that everyone starts from different places.

IHA is working to bring a diversity, equity and inclusion perspective to all that we do — from our major strategic priorities to the countless small decisions we make every day. As our organization continues to learn and grow, we will continue walking the talk.

Want to learn more?

https://leanin.org/education/what-is-unconscious-bias

https://www.urban.org/events/improving-homeownership-outcomes-critical-narrowing- wealth-equity-gap

https://www.urban.org/features/exposing-housing-discrimination