Public Housing Resident Organizing and Participation Toolkit

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
This toolkit is designed for public housing residents interested in creating or supporting a resident council.

Mass Cultural Council's Racial Equity Plan

Mass Cultural Council
As a state agency, Mass Cultural Council’s grant-making is a public investment into an important economic sector and health and human services. As stewards of public resources, we are striving to become more intentionally inclusive when we design programs and services, and make policy and funding decisions, to ensure we are reaching all residents of the Commonwealth. With the release of our first-ever Racial Equity Plan, Mass Cultural Council commits to doing the ongoing and long-term work of being a racially-equitable and anti-racist organization.

Local Tenant Organization Success Stories Webinar, August 2021

Sue Kirby, Public Housing Resident
For residents of public housing What makes for a successful Local Tenant Organization? In this webinar we talk about how to connect with residents in your development to build a powerful network that can make changes to benefit everyone. Residents are often held back by “The Big 4” -- fear, hopelessness, confusion and division. But through building trusted relationships we can overcome these barriers and improve the quality of life. What follows is an interview with Sue Kirby, the president of the Morency Tenants Organization in Salem, MA.

Who's Who - DHCD, the LHA Board, and the Local Tenant Organization 2.12.21

Sarah O'Leary
This webinar with DHCD and the Mel King Institute is to understand the different powers of the Local Tenant Organization, the LHA Board, and DHCD. Residents will learn more about the "chain of command" for resolving individual problems, the expansive powers of their local Board, and the limits of DHCD's authority.

Slides for Capital Improvement Plans Webinar with DHCD 10.14.2021

DHCD
Powerpoint slides that correspond with webinar here: https://youtu.be/k3wXaRrkhxI

Capital Improvement Plans with DHCD Webinar 10.14.2021

Stefanie Brynen
Every Housing Authority has a Capital Improvement Plan which lays out the major improvements the authority will make to its properties in the next five years. These plans have a huge impact on residents’ quality of life, and like budgets, all residents have the right to weigh in. Resident Board Members especially need to understand the details of a Capital Improvement Plan so they can make their perspectives known to the Board.

Race Counts

Build Healthy Places Network
RACE COUNTS measures the overall performance, amount of racial disparity, and impact by population size of every county in California.

Local Tenant Organization Success Stories Webinar, August 2021

Judy O’Kulsky, Public Housing Resident
For residents of public housing What makes for a successful Local Tenant Organization? In this webinar we talk about how to connect with residents in your development to build a powerful network that can make changes to benefit everyone. Residents are often held back by “The Big 4” -- fear, hopelessness, confusion and division. But through building trusted relationships we can overcome these barriers and improve the quality of life. What follows is an interview with Judy O'Kulsky who is on the board of the newly elected local tenant organization in Belchertown, MA and also serves on the board of the Belchertown Housing Authority.

Local Tenant Organization Success Stories Webinar, August 2021

Carol Roberts, Public Housing Resident
For residents of public housing What makes for a successful Local Tenant Organization? In this webinar we talk about how to connect with residents in your development to build a powerful network that can make changes to benefit everyone. Residents are often held back by “The Big 4” -- fear, hopelessness, confusion, and division. But through building trusted relationships we can overcome these barriers and improve the quality of life. What follows is an interview with Carol Roberts, a long time board member of the local tenants organization in Caffrey Towers in Brockton, MA and also serves as a board member of the Brockton Housing Authority.

Mass Law Reform Institute Annual Plan Webinar, Recorded June 2021

Molly Broderick. MLRI
Every Local Housing Authority (LHA) is required to prepare and post an Annual Plan. This Plan includes the LHA's budget, capital improvement plan, maintenance information, a list of policies, a list of waivers, and more. Residents have the right to weigh in, especially Local Tenant Organizations!

DHCD Annual Plan Webinar, Recorded June 2021

Paul McPartland, DHCD
Every Local Housing Authority (LHA) is required to prepare and post an Annual Plan. This Plan includes the LHA's budget, capital improvement plan, maintenance information, a list of policies, a list of waivers, and more. Residents have the right to weigh in, especially Local Tenant Organizations!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Organizational Assessment Tools: A Resource Guide

Brandeis Heller School
This resource guide is designed to assist organizations and coalitions in a change process to identify, defne, and achieve goals related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice. It is appropriate for a wide range of organizations from across the health and healthcare, human and social service, education (K-12), and non-proft sectors.

20 subtle ways white supremacy manifests in nonprofit and philanthropy

Vu
Listicle with 20 examples of white supremacy in nonprofit work

Racial Equity Tools Site Map

Racial Equity Tools
• For a bird’s-eye view of the 98 ‘bookcases’ (category pages) in our refreshed library, skim the RET Site Map.

Racial Equity Tools Glossary

Racial Equity Tools
Words and their multiple uses reflect the tremendous diversity that characterizes our society. Indeed, universally agreed upon language on issues relating to racism is nonexistent. We discovered that even the most frequently used words in any discussion on race can easily cause confusion, which leads to controversy and hostility. It is essential to achieve some degree of shared understanding, particularly when using the most common terms. In this way, the quality of dialogue and discourse on race can be enhanced.

Mixed-Finance Redevelopment of State-Aided Public Housing Webinar, Recorded December 2020

Robert Muollo, DHCD
Redeveloping state public housing is a complex, multi-faceted and inclusionary process involving many stakeholders that takes vision and coordination to achieve the best outcome. By improving one’s understanding of the redevelopment process, residents can become better empowered to participate, distinguish fact from myth, and drive community priorities.

Local Housing Authority Capital Improvement Plans, Recorded May 2020

Fatima Razzaq, DHCD
Every Housing Authority has a Capital Improvement Plan which lays out the major improvements the authority will make to its properties in the next five years. These plans have a huge impact on residents’ quality of life and all residents have the right to weigh in. Resident Board Members especially need to understand the details of a Capital Improvement Plan so they can make their perspectives known to the Board.

Public Housing Rent Policies during COVID-19, Recorded May 2020

Judith Liben, Mass Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
Watch Judith Liben of Mass Law Reform Institute review Public Housing Rents during the COVID-19 Emergency.

Local Housing Authority Annual Plans, Recorded May 2020

Annette Duke, Mass Law Reform Institute (MLRI)
Every Local Housing Authority (LHA) is required to prepare and post an Annual Plan. This Plan includes the LHA's budget, capital improvement plan, maintenance information, a list of policies, a list of waivers, and more. Residents have the right to weigh in, especially Local Tenant Organizations! Watch this video to learn more.

Racial Equity Trauma Toolkit

Boston College
In this era of having witnessed multiple police killings of African American boys and men and girls and women either directly or vicariously through media accounts, communities of Color may experience post trauma symptoms. The ISPRC Alumni Board has released a toolkit for managing symptoms at #racialtraumaisreal which is available to download.

Asian American History Video Series

Immigrant History Initiative
View our videos below on Chinese Exclusion, the Justice for Vincent Chin Movement,the history of Filipinx healthcare workers, Wong Kim Ark & birthright citizenship, the Civil Rights Movement and the need for cross-racial solidarity, and APA Heritage Month!

A Different Asian American Timeline


This tool invites us to see both the specificity of group-differentiated oppressions and their relationships to one another within racial capitalism. The importance of studying Asian American history in this way lies in the urgent need to work toward democracy amid rising forms of authoritarianism and nationalism.

APISAA Therapist Directory


State-specific Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American Therapist Directory

More than Numbers: A Guide Toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Data Collection

Schusterman Family Foundation
This guide includes recommendations for equity-focused demographic questions on program applications, surveys, evaluations, event invitations and the like, as well as best practices and examples of how to ensure that historically marginalized communities are appropriately represented.

Beyond the Board Statement: How Can Boards Join the Movement for Racial Justice? (Part Two)

Jeanne Bell & Nonprofit Quarterly
In this second part of a two-part series, nationally renowned board and equity consultants Vernetta Walker and Robin Stacia answer participants’ questions about how to transform a board so it embraces a racial equity agenda, In this session, you’ll find many practical examples of ways to approach the work, discussions of the barriers to change, and tools to help organize and ground racial justice in your organizational mission. Stacia and Walker bring an interactive approach that is deeply insightful, grounded in both research and practice, and unrelentingly focused on creating a different and more racially just future.

BoardSource Racial Equity Tools Glossary

BoardSource
Racial Equity Tools has created a glossary of terms to create a shared understanding of words to enhance the way we talk about race. Language is an essential tool in racial equity work, and the terms we use have evolved as this work has developed. Having a common language allows us to better engage, discuss, and reflect on these important issues together. Terms in the glossary include: Implicit bias, Institutional racism, Microaggression, Restorative justice

Anti-Racism Resources

Your Yoga Alliance
Racism and hatred are the opposites of all that yoga teaches us. The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery were all horrific acts of violence. Yoga Alliance has chosen to raise our voice in solidarity with the goal of social justice for all. This page has been created as a resource to provide information for those who seek to be informed about the struggle of African Americans, increase their awareness and empathy and contribute to the cause of social justice. Please bookmark this page—it will be updated frequently. If you wish to suggest resources, to be considered for this page, please email us at info@yogaalliance.org.

Fifty Years Of “The People v. HUD”

Poverty & Race research Action Council (PRRAC)
HUD has benefited enormously from strong civil rights advocacy, and many of HUD’s most important regulatory guidelines have emerged from this advocacy. We offer this selected timeline as a tribute to this ongoing history and, we hope, an inspiration to a new generation of civil rights and tenant activists.

The Boston Foundation Racial Equity Capacity Builders Directory

The Boston Foundation
As part of its continued work to support nonprofits as it centers and advances racial equity within its organizations, the Boston Foundation worked with partners to develop a directory of racial equity capacity builders currently serving Greater Boston nonprofit organizations. The directory lists 80 individuals and organizations providing racial equity capacity building services. Please use this as a resource for organizational racial equity goals.

The Ultimate Guide to DEI Investing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Your Organization

Berrett-Koehler Publishers
In this comprehensive guide, we’ve compiled actionable and accessible resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the top leaders who have been doing the work to shape the future of a more inclusive economy. Read on for the most important trends and research-backed tools on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Cambridge College Resource Library for Business Development Program

Cambridge College
The Business Resource Library connects Consultants, Technical Assistance Providers and students to a variety of learning tools, including sample documents and industry trend topics. This library can quickly provide comprehensive information you may need to assist small businesses during their start-up, stabilization and growth phases. These materials can be downloaded from the links below. This library was built with the collaboration of Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC), Mel King Institute, Lawyers for Civil Rights, and Technical Assistance providers.

COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard

Eviction Lab
Safe, stable, and decent housing has always been central to ensuring health and stability. Today, with the United States focused on containing the COVID-19 pandemic, the broader and longstanding issue of income and housing insecurity has quickly become paramount to the health of an entire nation.To better understand the steps states have taken to prevent homelessness during and after the pandemic, the Eviction Lab and Columbia Law School’s Professor Emily Benfer have developed a policy scorecard for each state, distilling the contents of thousands of newly-released emergency orders, declarations, and legislation into a clear set of critical measures included in, and left out of, state-level pandemic responses related to eviction and housing.

Arts & Planning Toolkit

MAPC
The Arts and Planning Toolkit has been given a reboot to become better aligned with the needs of municipal planners who are doing arts and culture-related work. Each page now follows a consistent outline of tools, resources, and examples to show how ideas may be put into action.

COVID-19 - Racial Equity & Social Justice Resources

Racial Equity Tools
COVID-19 Racial Equity & Social Justice list includes information that we hope will help communities and activists as they work to understand and respond to the moment and for the long haul.

Storytelling Toolkit: Lessons Learned from NHT's "Where Will We Live"

National Housing Trust
This toolkit is a guide for advocates to replicate the National Housing Trust’s efforts and successfully employ digital, visual and audio storytelling strategies within their advocacy tactics.

Opportunity360 Community Dashboard

Enterprise
Opportunity360 Community Dashboards provide the information necessary to determine where action is most needed and where established programs and policies have been most successful in any neighborhood in the country. These dashboards now allow data comparison for up to three census tracts, anywhere in the US. In the free Opportunity360 Community Dashboards, you will find over 150 indicators from 27 sources.

Public Policy Resources

BestColleges.com
This guide includes links to free public policy online resources that will help one get a better sense of the entire field.

Public Policy Career Outlook

BestColleges.com
This guide provides you with in-depth information on degree planning including program structures, concentrations, and skill development and application for a Public Policy career.

Earning a Public Policy Master’s Degree

BestColleges.com
This resource will help you learn about the common Master's in Public Policy admission requirements, coursework, and jobs available for graduates.

Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture

Tema Okun, dRworks
This is a list of characteristics of white supremacy culture that show up in our organizations. The characteristics listed below are damaging because they are used as norms and standards without being proactively named or chosen by the group. They are damaging because they promote white supremacy thinking.