Racial Equity

&

Homelessness

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R.E.A.C.H
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Data
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COHHIO Racial Equity Committee (REC)

Who we are

COHHIO’s Racial Equity Committee (REC) recognizes that homelessness and housing in the US are racialized problems, that the myriad racial inequities that exist are the results of centuries of structural racism that pervades American institutions.

Racist policies, practices, laws, and cultural narratives have conspired to undermine the liberties and limit the opportunities of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. We believe that systemic inequities can be deconstructed through persistent and purposeful action, and that more equitable systems and institutions can be realized, including those that relate to homelessness and housing.

Therefore, we strive to utilize a progressive racial equity lens in providing ongoing and impactful trainings, technical assistance, data analysis, and program oversight in our work to eliminate homelessness and achieve safe, decent, and affordable housing for all.

We do this both internally by working with the entire COHHIO organization, and externally by working alongside numerous agencies and organizations throughout Ohio and the US, especially those whose focus is providing homelessness and housing services.

Data

shows disparities represented in Ohio Homelessness Race/Ethnicity Analysis

Sources: 2019 Census Data and 2019 Point in Time Count data

Other Data Sources:

We commit to doing more.

COHHIO is committed to doing more than just talking about the issue. COHHIO has donated to the following organizations: Ohio Transformation Fund which is a collaborative fund developed by national and local funders advocating for healthy communities and an equitable democracy across Ohio. NAACP – Ohio Chapter– The Ohio Conference of Units of the NAACP has been a vital programmatic component of the NAACP for almost a century. Ohio Unity Coalition The Ohio Unity Coalition provides year round civic engagement, leadership development, and power building campaigns to empower Black and underserved communities, through our Unity Voter Empowerment Campaign and Ohio Black Women Roundtable.

We encourage you all to use your organizational resources towards making change

Organizational Committee

Focus: Equitable Service Delivery & Racially Equitable Decision Making

Race Equity Organizational Self-Assessment and Transformation Project

The primary goal of this project is to assist homeless services agencies in Ohio in assessing their level of readiness and progress with race equity initiatives at an organizational level, and to provide tools and resources to help advance the work to benefit Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experiencing homelessness in our communities.

The secondary goal is to help identify and ultimately create/curate resources and supports that could help guide homeless services agencies as they advance their racial equity work and to make homeless service delivery more equitable and accessible for BIPOC folks experiencing homelessness in Ohio.

  1. Determine which one of the two available self-assessment tools the agency wants to complete, and determine the internal process for completing the tool
  2. Read the project document description for more details
  3. The Organizational Committee of REACH-Ohio has compiled a resource catalog for equity advancement resources.

Please reach out to Ericamulryan@cohhio.org or jhummer@end-homelessness.org for more information

Racial Equity Action Committee on Homelessness in Ohio

(R.E.A.C.H Ohio)

COHHIO’s REC is internal facing, COHHIO helped create the external facing Race Equity Action Committee on Homelessness in Ohio (REACH Ohio). This diverse committee of providers, system and community leaders, advocates, and individuals with lived expertise, developed goals centered around creating an equitable homeless system.

R.E.A.C.H Ohio’s Mission:

We are committed to achieving racial equity in Ohio’s Homeless systems

  • We acknowledge that housing is a right and homelessness is unacceptable
  • We are focused on radical anti-racist change in pursuit of justice and equity
  • We are data- enlightened and person centered
  • We are courageous, inclusive and transparent in support of our mission

This will be achieved by committing to:

  1. All individuals connected to the homeless system have racial equity training.
  2. All agencies in the homeless system use a racial equity lens in all decision making.
  3. All individuals experiencing homelessness have an equitable experience in our system.
  4. All systems interacting with the homeless system work together to promote racial equity.
  5. Qualitative and quantitative data about housing and homelessness are collected and analyzed through a racial equity lens.
  6. All (advocacy) efforts to prevent and end homelessness are informed by racial equity.

Informational Committee

Focus: Equity Training & Technical Assistance, and Data Analysis

To request a Training & Technical Assistance or inquire about more information contact us at racialequity@cohhio.org.

Systemic Committee

Focus: Equitable Advocacy & Cross System Collaboration

Organizational Committee

Focus: Equitable Service Delivery & Racially Equitable Decision Making

Race Equity Organizational Self-Assessment and Transformation Project

The primary goal of this project is to assist homeless services agencies in Ohio in assessing their level of readiness and progress with race equity initiatives at an organizational level, and to provide tools and resources to help advance the work to benefit Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experiencing homelessness in our communities.

The secondary goal is to help identify and ultimately create/curate resources and supports that could help guide homeless services agencies as they advance their racial equity work and to make homeless service delivery more equitable and accessible for BIPOC folks experiencing homelessness in Ohio.

  1. Determine which one of the two available self-assessment tools the agency wants to complete, and determine the internal process for completing the tool
  2. Read the project document description for more details

Please reach out to Ericamulryan@cohhio.org or jhummer@end-homelessness.org for more information

Racial Equity Action Committee on Homelessness in Ohio

(R.E.A.C.H Ohio)

COHHIO’s REC is internal facing, COHHIO helped create the external facing Race Equity Action Committee on Homelessness in Ohio (REACH Ohio). This diverse committee of providers, system and community leaders, advocates, and individuals with lived expertise, developed goals centered around creating an equitable homeless system.

R.E.A.C.H Ohio’s Mission:

We are committed to achieving racial equity in Ohio’s Homeless systems

  • We acknowledge that housing is a right and homelessness is unacceptable
  • We are focused on radical anti-racist change in pursuit of justice and equity
  • We are data- enlightened and person centered
  • We are courageous, inclusive and transparent in support of our mission

This will be achieved by committing to:

  1. All individuals connected to the homeless system have racial equity training.
  2. All agencies in the homeless system use a racial equity lens in all decision making.
  3. All individuals experiencing homelessness have an equitable experience in our system.
  4. All systems interacting with the homeless system work together to promote racial equity.
  5. Qualitative and quantitative data about housing and homelessness are collected and analyzed through a racial equity lens.
  6. All (advocacy) efforts to prevent and end homelessness are informed by racial equity.

Informational Committee

Focus: Equity Training & Technical Assistance, and Data Analysis

To request a Training & Technical Assistance or inquire about more information contact us at racialequity@cohhio.org.

Systemic Committee

Focus: Equitable Advocacy & Cross System Collaboration

Standing in Solidarity

COHHIO stands in solidarity with the protestors demanding justice for Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery as well as so many other Black Americans killed by police, many of them in Ohio. We remember and honor Julius Tate Jr., John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Henry Green and Tyre King, among others who lost their lives to the violence of racism, systemic inequality and police brutality in recent years.

COHHIO recognizes that to solve the crisis of racial inequality, an issue that relates to and affects our work to combat housing insecurity and homelessness; we must center the voices, needs and aspirations of the Black community in our strategies. Full statement

COHHIO stands firmly against all forces of white supremacist ideology and terror that has presented itself against Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi Americans (APIDA). This has been a long nightmare in the land of the American Dream. The gruesome intersections of racism, sexism, and classism have left a wake of pain. See the full statement

Resources and Guidance

National Guidance And Tools

National Resources

Ohio Guidance