Social Justice

Pathway Homes provides mental health services—starting with safe, stable housing—to those marginalized by poverty and inequity. As part of this, we utilize an equity lens to increase awareness about the systemic barriers encountered by the individuals we serve. This includes:

• Ensuring that our staff and leadership team mirror the racial diversity of our community
• Employing individuals with lived experience as counselors
• Developing a diverse board of directors
• Recruiting volunteers reflective of the community, including older adults
• Operationalizing our approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) by incorporating into our strategic plan and developing a multi-stage DEIJ audit
• Identifying DEIJ as a core competency for all agency employees
• Establishing the Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) that educates and advocates for the homeless and affordable housing
• Incorporate a DEIJ lens in identifying vendors
• Leading beyond our doors in support of social justice

As an agency committed to ending stigmas and racism in housing and mental health, we continue to work with the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Leadership Council, Virginia Association of Community Based Providers (VACBP), Fairfax-Falls Church Continuum of Care, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Analysis of Impediments Advisory Committee, and Chairman McKay’s Task Force on Equity and Opportunity. Our involvement enables us to target areas that will have the greatest impact on creating equitable housing solutions, which is consistent with our support and compliance with ONEFairfax.

By expanding our inventory of affordable housing, creating homes for individuals with mental health conditions, dismantling barriers that have historically denied housing to those in need, and remaining committed to a housing-first philosophy based on the conviction that housing is a right not a privilege, we are amplifying the voices of those that do not have a voice and are leveling the playing field for marginalized groups.