Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging have always been at the heart of our work. Since our founding in 1985, we’ve aimed to close the state’s racial wealth gap through homeownership and to increase the production of affordable homes for low- and moderate-income renters at every stage of life through our rental financing program. We do this work so that everyone in the Commonwealth has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their skin color or income bracket.
Along the way, we’ve realized that effecting meaningful change requires inward reflection. We've had to assess whether the patterns we seek to disrupt externally are being replicated internally. For the last five years, a staff-initiated and led Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Working Group has been helping us identify and implement changes to ensure that we have a diverse staff, an equitable workplace, an inclusive culture, and a shared sense of belonging. To achieve this, four priorities have been identified and developed:
1) “stay interviews”
2) equitable access to skill development
3) collection of self-identity data
4) an active program of learning opportunities.
In 2023, a new sub-committee of the DEIB Working Group was formed, MHP Cares, in response to staff interest in developing a culture of philanthropy and volunteering within the organization. Through MHP Cares, MHP staff can use some of their work hours to serve the communities of Massachusetts. Staff can pursue this through group volunteering efforts or Volunteer Time Off. This past year, MHP Cares organized four opportunities for MHP employees to get involved:
25 MHP staffers packed 550 snack bags for visitors to Pine Street Inn (and additional staff contributed through donations of snacks, winter and personal care items, or cash).
During the 2023 holiday season, MHP Cares hosted a toy drive at the office. The toys were then collected by an organization called Omega Men in Action, which distributed the toys to children in Roxbury just in time for the holidays.
In August 2023 and again in April 2024, 10 MHP staffers visited Community Servings in Jamaica Plain, where they helped in in the kitchen with prepping vegetables, portioning food, and packing meal bags.
MHP Cares will continue offering group volunteering opportunities every quarter with organizations that MHP employees are passionate about. We are confident that when staff are given the chance to work across teams on service projects like these, we gain a deeper understanding of each other’s work capacity, skills sets, and interpersonal skills, which in turn creates a deeper sense of belonging and inclusion at MHP.
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One step toward a greater sense of belonging