dei.edenhousing.orgEden Housing DE&I Report 2023

Eden Housing DEI Report 2023Eden Housing Home Our Mission and Core Values Message to Our Eden friends Equity Statement We Celebrate We Promise We Commit We Believe We Challenge We Build We Commit Thank You Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging 2022/23 REPORT Our Mission and Core Values Eden Housing creates and sustains high-quality affordable housing communities that advance equity and opportunity for all. Deliver with integrity Every day we do what’s right—for our team, our residents, our community, our state and our planet. Champion our people Our employees are our biggest asset—our investments in professional growth advance our mission. Commit to equity and racial justice We take an anti-racist approach— applying an equity lens across all our work. Promote economic justice We provide stable homes and supportive services—promoting economic mobility for the people we serve. Commit for the long haul Our work is never done—we focus on long-term partnerships and solutions to address the housing crisis. Message to Our Eden Friends We are proud to share with you our second annual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Report that highlights our accomplishments this past year. This report also serves as a blueprint for how we will continue to improve our DEIB efforts moving forward. This work does not come with a playbook, so we are framing our progress in alignment with our equity statement, knowing that success requires an ongoing commitment from each and every person at Eden. This past year, we built on our foundation to promote racial, social and economic justice for all. We stood up, spoke out and engaged in litigation in communities where systemic racism has prevailed in the past and still today, when local citizens try to delay and derail our plans to build much-needed affordable housing. For us, it is crucial that our words and actions are not a reflexive reaction, but provide thoughtful evidence that the affordable housing industry with its established track record of overcoming obstacles and wide sphere of influence is intent on tackling inequality in housing. Eden’s mission, core values and equity statement continue to guide us in our commitment to provide affordable housing that advances opportunity for all. We strengthened our pipeline of diverse talent from entry level to leadership positions and our Board of Directors. We shared staff stories and enhanced employee benefits. We also expanded our efforts to advance digital inclusion and financial empowerment for the individuals and families who live in our housing. Please also note that we added belonging” to our commitment, knowing that diversity, equity and inclusion are the steppingstones to create the desired result of belonging—critical to our workplace culture and the populations we serve—where a diversity of people, experiences and ideas all contribute to advancing our mission. We would like to thank our inaugural DEIB Council for establishing a foundation for this work, and our Board of Directors, leadership teams and every person at Eden for all they have done to encourage and promote a diverse, equitable, inclusive and belonging environment at Eden Housing. Our journey proves that DEIB is in everyone’s interest, and everyone can make a difference. At Eden, we are committed to the long journey ahead, and appreciate our partners and friends who also share in this commitment. Linda Mandolini President and CEO Jim Kennedy Chair, Eden Board of Directors Lorenzo Jones VP of Diversity, Equity, InclusionBelonging Equity Statement Since our founding in 1968, Eden Housing has been committed to building and preserving a home for everyone in need. We have a responsibility to address structural racism in our communities through our work in housing. The following equity statement outlines our commitment. We advocate to eliminate the effects of racist, exclusionary land use policy and housing discrimination. We value racially and economically diverse communities because they are essential to our collective success. We build inclusive, high-quality, well-designed, affordable housing throughout California. We do this because everyone has a right to live in safe, thriving neighborhoods with access to quality education and employment opportunities. We believe that access to resident services and amenities allows people to live with dignity, experience lifelong growth and build financial security. We will apply an equity lens to our partnerships, programs, and supply chain to acknowledge that the opportunities we provide can be a pathway to economic success for people who have encountered the most significant barriers. We celebrate our differences and strive to create change for good. We hire people who embody and champion the Eden Housing brand and mission. We value the unique perspective that derives from richly diverse residents and employees. We pledge to engage and elevate the voices of all cultures and backgrounds to increase our efficacy and understanding. We promise to do our part. We promise to be mindful and consistent. We commit to scrutinize and improve our practices, policies, and programs. We will continue to increase our social awareness and ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from different cultures and belief systems. We will deliver with integrity, champion our people, build enduring partnerships, and commit for the long haul. We challenge our partners to join with us in the fight to end racist policies and practices in the housing industry. Together, our advocacy and concrete actions will help us change the world one corner at a time. Championing Our People - DEIB - Eden Housing's 55th Anniversary I’m proud of the work that the Board is doing to diversify its membership and create leadership succession. John Gaffney Eden Board Member We are creating high-quality video content that breaks the negative stigmas surrounding affordable housing. We are also providing a voice for those who simply want a chance at economic justice. Michael Dismuke VP of CommunicationsOrganizational Development BELONGING is about unlocking an experience of being actively welcomed, valued and recognized in a meaningful work experience. WE CELEBRATE our differences and strive to create change for good. Eden’s Diversity at a Glance (513 employees, 17 board members) Why Does Diversity Matter? It gives us the best opportunity to be truly inclusive of different perspectives and learn and refine strategies to increase representation and inclusion in our work. It also helps us to better support the diverse population we serve. 0 % of our staff identify as women 0 % of our staff are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) 0 % of our executive team and extended leadership team identify as women 0 % of our executive team and extended leadership team are minorities or BIPOC 0 % of board members identify as women 0 % of board members are BIPOC Eden’s Board of Directors voted to implement director term limits in 2018 and added an additional two seats in 2019. These steps were made to create space for more diversity of race, culture, experience and expertise. The Board has completed the first in a series of DEIB Trainings, and all Board Committees ensure that annual work plans include topics that explore and demonstrate their ongoing commitment to embed diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in all of Eden’s work. Striving to Create a Diverse and Equitable Workplace WE PROMISE to do our part. We promise to be mindful and consistent. One of our goals this year was to align our understanding of what Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging means to us at Eden Housing. We partnered with Yavilah McCoy of Dimensions Educational Consulting, who led our Leadership Team through several days of training to construct a roadmap for how we can continue to grow and learn from one another to best support our employees. We also focused...