Community Housing Partners is committed to being a strong and effective partner to communities and individuals confronting social, environmental, and economic injustices.
Equity and Inclusion Team
CHP’s E&I Team is made up of staff from across the company working tohold CHP accountable for the commitment we’ve made as an organization to be a strong and effective partner to marginalized communities and individuals confronting injustices.
We recognize that conditions, access, and opportunities differ for everyone, and that these differences are a result of both intentional and unintentional decisions that have been made and continue to be made across every aspect of our society. The E&I Team is dedicated to guiding CHP through the development, implementation, and application of equitable and inclusive policies and practices that influence our work.
Prioritizing Equity
Equality is about equal inputs (e.g. resources, support, and opportunities) and assumes that everyone starts from the same place, whereas equity is about equal outcomes (e.g. performance, achievement, and health) and assumes that conditions are not the same and everyone starts from different places.
CHP is working to bring an equity framework 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 also seek opportunities to re-think our work through the lens of equity and inclusion.
Our History
CHP’s Equity & Inclusion (E&I) Team, originally called the Diversity Committee, began in 2015 and has been instrumental in guiding the organization’s journey toward creating a more equitable environment. Initially, the team focused on building awareness, gathering data, and encouraging employee feedback to better understand diversity challenges across the organization. In 2019, as we deepened our understanding of systemic injustice, the team shifted its focus and officially became the Equity & Inclusion Team, reflecting a broader commitment to addressing not just diversity but equity.
The national events of 2020 and the heightened awareness of systemic racism prompted CHP to amplify our efforts, operationalizing equity across all facets of the organization. We launched initiatives such as “Your Voice @ CHP” and facilitated important conversations about race and bias. In 2021, equity became a core value at CHP, shaping our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan and guiding how we make decisions at every level of the organization. (Download a presentation about the history of equity and inclusion at CHP.)
Key milestones in our journey include:
2015: Formation of the Diversity & Inclusion Council.
2018: Creation of our first Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan.
2019: Transition to the Equity & Inclusion Team, reflecting a stronger focus on equity.
2020: Increased focus on addressing systemic racism, dialogue on bias, and creation of “Your Voice @ CHP.”
2021: Equity becomes a core value of CHP.
2022 and beyond: Establishment of E&I subcommittees to advance equity in learning, data, communication, and decision-making processes.
Today, CHP continues to emphasize “Being vs. Doing”—integrating equity into every level of our organization. Our priorities remain focused on creating a culture of belonging, supporting ongoing learning, listening to the voices of our employees and residents, and maintaining strong leadership support to ensure these principles guide our work.
Welcoming and Belonging
Inclusive bi-weekly in-person New Hire Orientations (NHO) to kick off every new employee’s first day
NHO includes in-person introductions to Executive(s) and lunch with staff from across the company
DEI learning and awareness incorporated as a part of the NHO agenda
Translators join NHO for all ESL staff
Continue opportunities to come together as cross-departmental teams and communities, e.g., annual in-person supervisor convenings and virtual all-staff town halls
Organization-wide discussion forums on various topics and issues related to DEI
Ongoing Learning and Awareness
Mandatory unconscious bias training for new hires
Annual DEI Learning and Advocacy Workshop - Piloted in 2024: Systems of Inequality and Our Roles in DEI Efforts
Regular “Dialogue on…” staff conversations
DEI Resource Library with videos, books, articles, stories for learning
Bi-weekly DEI blog posts on CHP’s intranet
CHP Book Club with books focused on DEI learning
Listening, Measuring, and Responding
“Your Voice @CHP” platform includes multiple ways for employees to be heard
Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the NHO and other learning and awareness initiatives
Annual inclusion survey(s) for all staff
Regular resident and client surveying to lift resident & client voice into decision making
Use of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) tool to measure cultural competence and inclusion
Organization-wide discussion forums allowing all staff to contribute to important conversations
Leadership Support and Investment
Visible and clear reinforcement of DEI messaging from executive team
Investment into staff participation in VHA’s 10-month BIPOC Leadership Institute
Bi-annual town hall meetings with executive Q&A
Annual Leadership Conference focused on inclusive and supportive supervision practices
Analysis and adjustment of compensation and benefits to ensure competitiveness and equity across the organization
From our roots as a volunteer organization serving housing needs in Appalachia, CHP has grown into a multi-state organization nationally recognized for our capabilities and commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. Although CHP’s footprint has greatly expanded over the decades, our mission continues to focus on creating homes and communities that are healthy, sustainable, and affordable.
CHP’s Equity & Inclusion (E&I) Team, originally called the Diversity Committee, began in 2015 and has been instrumental in guiding the organization’s journey toward creating a more equitable environment. Initially, the team focused on building awareness, gathering data, and encouraging employee feedback to better understand diversity challenges across the organization. In 2019, as we deepened our understanding of systemic injustice, the team shifted its focus and officially became the Equity & Inclusion Team, reflecting a broader commitment to addressing not just diversity but equity.
