Understanding the Diversity of Your Residents

Most people assume that housing authority is only made up of poor African American people, but that is completely untrue. Most housing authorities are made up of a very diverse group of people. There are people that are Caucasian, Hispanic, Haitian, handicapped, middle income, seniors, etc. Depending on the region the housing authority is located in it may very easily be more diverse than that.

So make sure when you and your team are being culturally sensitive, make sure there is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training being done at least yearly. Understanding different cultures, what’s important to them and what offends them for example could help you in your role. It will also help prevent problems down the road.

According to a blog by SCORE, a 501(c)(3) and business partner of the Small Business Administration (SBA) that helps businesses thrive through trainings and resources, there are five key reasons why DEI is important in the workplace.

1. It provides your company with a different perspective

2. It enhances your talent pool

3. It can create better relationships between staff, leaders, and contractors

4. It strengthens your companies culture of teamwork

5. It connects you with the community you serve

It is also important to understand all the different cultures that make up your community so that you can better plan your calendar of events. We tend to focus on American Holidays when it comes to both our employees and our residents. We only give the major American holiday off for work and we only

host celebration events during times like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But there are so many other holidays that are widely celebrated in other cultures that are barely spoken on like Hanukkah for example. Some may be afraid they will misrepresent those cultures or holidays. It’s ok to get your residents involved. If you have a large Mexican population, ask a few residents to help you put something together for Día de los Muertos or get a few of your African American residents to help you plan a Juneteenth event for example.

When it comes to your resident acceptance processes, diversity, equity, and inclusion has to be in mind as well. The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) does what is called the Fair Housing Trends Report. In the 2021 report they had the highest number of housing discrimination complaints since the history of

the report even though fewer agencies reported the data. There were 31, 216 complaints that year which was an 8.7% increase from 2020.

It will also help you be a better property manager if that is your role. If you know you have a lot of handicap events, make sure you have provisions for that when you have events or meetings. If you know most of your residents have kids have kids, when you have an adult focused event, maybe have a kids’

area so the parents don’t have to pay for a babysitter.

These days, cultural education and sensitivity is so important. Especially with the heightening of antisemitism and police brutality against African Americans over the past few years. Don’t be afraid to have the hard conversations and to be a little uncomfortable if it makes you a better case worker or manager for your staff and residents. When you make decisions, make them with ALL your residents in mind!