Our Guiding Principles

At Homeward NYC, our social work is guided by a dedication to social justice. Our respect for diversity and inclusivity drives our commitment to be actively antiracist, provide respectful care and strive for equity. We value diversity in race, gender identity, sexuality, ability and lived experiences at all levels of senior management, board membership, staff and our services. The communities we serve are persons of color, young adults, LGBTQ folks, seniors, mothers, and persons with disabilities. These identities intersect. We understand and respect that people are not just one identity.

 

We Are Diverse

We are an agency both staffed by and serving predominantly persons of color. Many of our board and staff are drawn to our agency by a passion to serve their communities. We are committed to continuing staff personal and professional growth by examining and unlearning personal biases that can be brought into the workplace from the outside. We believe that inclusivity and diversity of perspective improve the quality of decision-making and outcomes. We are more powerful together.

 

We Are Antiracist

We stand in solidarity against structural racism embedded in our government, education, housing, criminal justice, health care, employment and other institutions. We hold ourselves accountable to be actively antiracist and work towards dismantling systemic racism in our own practices and when possible within our communities.

 

We Provide Respectful Care

Many of our residents experience the intersectional traumas of racism, sexism, homelessness, homophobia and transphobia, ableism, and physical and emotional abuse. We are committed to providing individualized, trauma-informed care for the communities we serve. We are committed to recruiting a culturally and linguistically competent staff. We will respect your voice and choices when we collaborate on treatment plans and care.

 

We Strive for Equity

We believe commitment to equity and social justice requires us to challenge our notions about what it truly means to have equitable treatment, opportunity, and access to information and resources. We believe there can be a more just and equitable future—if we all put in the consistent hard work to make it a reality.