July 16, 2018

A Three-Committee Approach to Equity

Peace March

For 45 years, PPL has used an equity lens in our work, creating stable households and communities through housing with services and career training.

In recent years, PPL has strengthened our commitment to equity by equipping staff with resources and trainings to best serve communities consistently affected by social and systemic injustice. But we're taking it further. 

The majority of people PPL serves are from communities of color; to do our work well, we must increase our cultural competency, but equally important is to explore the holistic context that impacts communities.

PPL has created a multi-prong approach to advancing equity using three staff-led committees. These three committees work to address nexus areas relating to equity and work together to serve marginalized communities and advance the mission of PPL:

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee: Lead PPL's work to advance equity as a lens through which all our work happens; remain mindful of racial disparities and barriers to access and resources that many in our communities face.
  • Public Policy Committee: Elevate participant voice by understanding, analyzing, and advocating for policies that impact our communities and help participants engage at the legislative level when appropriate. 
  • Neighborhood Engagement Committee: Engage community partners as a way to better support the economic vitality and sustainability of our residents, and to build strong, healthy neighborhoods. 

Each committee plays a particular role in how PPL engages with and understands the experiences of the communities we serve, and how we do our work. However, the three come together to encompass PPL's holistic approach to progress. 

Collectively the committees illustrate PPL's triple-bottom-line: stabilization of families and communities, elevating community voice and participation, and eliminating systemic inequities.

Everyone has hopes and dreams, but dreams are often unattainable where there is inequity in housing, economic development, education, and laws.

We're striving to not just talk-the-talk, but walk-the-walk. PPL is championing a multi-prong approach to do something about it. Join us

Meet Nichole

Nichole Salaam
Nichole Salaam
Director of Equity and Engagement