For over twenty years, One Family has made it our mission to serve and support diverse and underserved families across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Through our programs and public policy advocacy, we work to remove barriers to opportunity for families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Our work is done in the context of the long history of racism and oppression in this country - context which necessitates that One Family takes an explicitly anti-racist approach to our work and mission. 
 
We recognize that racism exists at all levels in American society as well as within many organizations. The systemic racism and structural inequality that exist in our country deeply impact the families we serve, our employees, and community members across the Commonwealth. We believe our work can play a role in dismantling the systemic racism and oppression that are prevalent in education, employment, and housing, and we know that BLACK LIVES MATTER.
 
However, we also know that there are many areas where One Family can improve moving forward. As a part of our strategic planning process in 2022, we identified a number of ways we can be more intentional about incorporating social justice practices and anti-racism across our organization, including the following specific action steps: 

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• Prioritizing public policy advocacy that will help dismantle racist barriers to housing access and family self-sufficiency

• Disaggregating outcomes data for program participants who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to analyze trends and ensure our services are equally effective across identity groups

• Starting to collect data on LGBTQIA+ status and disability status for program participants

• Maintaining a paid on-staff Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) working group, as well as hiring external DEI consultants

• Building diverse candidate pipelines for open positions at One Family, and promoting the professional development of all staff, with a particular emphasis on BIPOC staff and women

• Growing our Board of Directors, with a focus on diversification

• Prioritizing women-owned and minority-owned businesses for vendor partnerships

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We believe these goals and action steps are directly in line with One Family’s vision statement, which describes a Commonwealth where all families have secure housing, access to education leading to employment, and the ability to build assets to create a brighter future. Massachusetts, and America at large, cannot achieve this vision without effectively fighting racism and inequality, and One Family is committed to taking up that fight as part of a broad movement for justice and equity. We are proud to stand with the many people and organizations already engaged in this important anti-racism work, and we invite the rest of our community to walk with us now.