PBN Diversity Equity & Inclusion 2024 Awards
QUASI-GOVERNMENT: R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp.
GIVING ALL PROSPECTIVE homebuyers an opportunity to have an affordable home to live in is what motivates R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. on a daily basis.
The Providence-based quasi-government agency has different divisions to provide housing assistance, such as down payment assistance and mortgaging help for first-time homebuyers and financing assistance for rental properties across the state. R.I. Housing services all of its own loans and manages rental vouchers.
As part of its work, the agency works with lenders, development partners, attorneys and others. Overall, the organization provides resources and education to ensure Rhode Islanders can buy, rent or otherwise keep a home.
“We’re all committed to everyone having a safe place to call home that they can afford, and that means something different for everyone,” R.I. Housing CEO and Executive Director Carol Ventura said.
R.I. Housing is currently working on a strategic plan focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. The agency created a task force that meets monthly to share ideas and perspectives about the plan.
Along with a statement it will share with employees and its partners, R.I. Housing’s immediate next steps to enhance diversity will include staff trainings and development opportunities, Human Resources Director Whitley Werts said.
Werts is looking forward to implementing a performance management software that will include a DEI element. R.I. Housing has also created an e-learning platform on LinkedIn Learning with a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging learning path that all employees are required to complete.
“For us, it’s really a journey, and we’re starting together,” Werts said. “We are creating awareness, making sure that we have the tools and resources to be successful in our initiatives.”
Ventura says she’s heard that employees really appreciate the cultural competency series the company organizes, an aspect she’s proud of.
“I think Whitley’s work in this area with her team is really creating a culture of awareness and sensitivity that we’ve never had in the past,” Ventura said.
In the wider community, R.I. Housing is focusing on building programs to advance opportunities and break down housing barriers. For example, the agency offers down payment assistance grants for first-time homebuyers.
Werts feels it’s important for R.I. Housing and all its employees to be culturally aware and have a culture of humility to work in the field and to provide Rhode Islanders with affordable homes. “So, I think it starts with us, and then we’re able to put it out in the community as well,” Werts said.
Equity is key to R.I. Housing’s culture, Ventura says. She feels the agency, as a whole, has become better professionals and better people the more that its staff understands what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
R.I. Housing is also working on a mentorship program for employees, which will launch in January. The agency currently has a nonofficial Latino group that formed in the summer of 2024. This group has been meeting regularly and conducted a cultural competency series on Spanish heritage in September.
The company wants to ensure it has effective leaders, both Werts and Ventura say. It will also launch an employee resource group next year.
“I think that knowledge is power, and that sharing knowledge among everyone in the agency, whether it’s someone learning about Hispanic heritage or learning about a program that we offer in the agency … sharing information is powerful,” Ventura said. “We’re educating our colleagues on all of the work we do; we’re setting an example of where we would like to go, so I think that’s critical.”
R.I. Housing leadership also demonstrates their support of diversity, equity and inclusion by supporting initiatives and letting staff set aside time to participate in the programs, learn about best practices and build their knowledge, Ventura says.
“I’ve been here almost 25 years and I can’t think of a better place to work or a better group of people to work with,” Ventura said. “R.I. Housing is providing opportunities across the board for people.”
