Racial Equity. The County is committed to advancing racial equity for its residents. The commitment is captured in the County’s Advancing Racial Equity Policy which states that “Racial equity is achieved when race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes, and outcomes for all are improved.” Consistent with the Advancing Racial Equity Policy, the Grantee will take all reasonable measures to advance racial equity during grant performance. Grantee recognizes and acknowledges this requires deconstructing barriers and changing systems, structures, policies, and procedures. Grantee will be equitable, inclusive, transparent, respectful, and impactful in serving and engaging residents. Grantee will have meaningful and authentic engagement of community and employees to strengthen the administration, development, and implementation of policies and procedures to advance racial equity and ensure that all residents in need have awareness of and access to grant services.
Racial Equity a. Housing Resource Center will implement strategies to prevent racial inequities in who is served and program outcomes.
Racial Equity a. Kitsap County will implement strategies to prevent racial inequities in who is served and program outcomes and support their subgrantee in implementing racial equity strategies. Kitsap County will work to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and other populations of color are able to access and use our coordinated entry program proportionate to their need. Kitsap County and other relevant entities will look at vulnerability scoring tool to ensure that there is no unintentional institutional racism being perpetuated in the way that people are being referred to programs. Kitsap County will work with program providers to provide just access to case management and supports while people are in programs so that household outcomes are not reflective of their racial make-up. Navigation Center staff will work to ensure that all households receive access to care, supportive services, and housing supports, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, physical ability, etc.
Racial Equity. The NSFN aims to utilize FTS as a mechanism to address social and racial inequities broadly and within the food system (NSFN, 2020). Often food access is more of a challenge “in low-income communities of color,” with “1 in 3 African American or Latino children at risk of hunger” (NFSN, 2020). In addition to food access, often African American and Latino children experience higher rates of obesity (Xxxxxxx et al., 2013). With programs in schools and early care centers across the country, FTS presents an opportunity to promote and incorporate racial equity through the different program elements. The monitoring and evaluation framework for Georgia Organics incorporates indicators to evaluate progress in racial equity. The NFSN proposes multiple avenues that FTS can utilize to promote social and racial equity. Through local procurement, not only are schools able to provide healthier meals to students with fresh, local fruits and vegetables who otherwise may not have had access but are also able to strategically support marginalized farmers (NFSN, 2020). Providing agricultural education alongside xxxxxx field trips is also a strategy to “elevate the value of local agriculture and lift up under-represented stakeholders in the food system” (NFSN, 2020). Ray et al. (2016) also argue the association between school gardens and improved academic performance for Black and Latino students after finding positive associations between the presence of school gardens and higher reading, science, and math test scores. Georgia Organics is setting new goals to alter their marketing and outreach strategy to target low resource and marginalized schools, communities, and producers, and provide greater access to the various resources they offer through their FTS program.
Racial Equity. HEALTH ACCESS FOR ALL STIGMA FREE HOUSING FIRST ECONOMIC JUSTICE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE
Racial Equity. Grantee will implement strategies to prevent racial inequities in who is served and program outcomes. Snohomish County will implement strategies to prevent racial inequities in who is served and program outcomes. Snohomish County has revamped their vulnerability assessment tool and coordinated entry process in order to decrease discrepancies in scoring. The county recognizes more work is to be done and will undertake continuous quality improvement. HMIS staff have built an Equity Analysis Dashboard. The dashboard will be used to aid in identification of areas needing attention, the dashboard provides a visual cue when differences between the groups reach a level of statistical significance. This dashboard is reviewed by the CoC Board’s Data Analysis Committee of the board on a semi-annual basis. At the program level, the agency will ensure services and programming support low barrier access and are non-discriminatory. Programs will strive for inclusivity, honoring client preferences related religious and cultural/ethnic cultures. Services will be tailored to reflect each household or individual’s unique circumstances. Translation and interpreter services will be provided when needed. Clients will be offered grievance procedure should there be any concerns or complaints regarding discrimination.
Racial Equity. It is important that the county department address racial disparities in program design, development, and implementation. It is vital to have early engagement with stakeholders with lived experience of homelessness or mental and/or substance use disorders, people with disabilities, and with other marginalized communities including BIPOC at risk of or experiencing homelessness. County departments should rely on local data to account for racial inequities and disparities experienced by persons experiencing homelessness in the application evaluation process and/or allocation methodology.
