“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having a voice to be heard.” -Liz Fosslien
This year Community Development (CD) TIG’s sponsored week focuses on community development evaluation and how members are addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Research shows that diversity and inclusion in the workforce enhance organizational performance and creativity, and positively impact population health outcomes ( CDC; Science Direct Diversity Article). In the forthcoming week, the CD TIG will seek to highlight these efforts, as well as share Hot Tips and Tools with readers on how to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the community development and evaluation workspace.
My name is Rhyanne McDade, PhD, CHES. My academic background is in Public Health Education, with an emphasis in Community Health. My research foci broadly center on African American Health Disparities (e.g. mental health stigma, bullying, marijuana use etc.). Currently, I serve as a teaching fellow at Northern Kentucky University; and am the President & CEO of a local not-for-profit organization Apple of His Eye Inc.
As a part of my not-for-profit organization, I provide is Adult Supportive Housing services specifically geared towards African American males experiencing/living with a mental health condition. Upon my evaluation of community-based Adult Care Facilities around the Greater Cincinnati Area, I found that there are approximately 81 facilities providing housing services to both male and females experiencing/living with a mental health condition, and only eight facilities specifically catering to men experiencing/living with a mental health condition (Ohio Adult Care Facilities). Moreover, most facilities include a wide age span (e.g. 18- 100) which allows for a more robust pool of potential applicants, (which is a huge positive), but may also detract from tailored services provided to a more specific age/cultural group. As I am still in the preliminary stages of securing my housing facility, it is my hope to learn from already established services providers, as well as provide tailored culturally competent services to a subset of individuals within an underserved population.
Rad Resource:
National Alliance on Mental Illness South- Numbers by Race & Ethnicity. https://www.nami.org/mhstats
The American Evaluation Association is hosting Community Development TIG Week with our colleagues in the Community DevelopmentTopical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our CD TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.