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Dilip KaviThe importance of consistent conversations and small but significant actions
When it comes to diversity and inclusion, it is the small actions that make a difference over time, says Dilip Kavi
Greater equality and inclusivity are achieved through many small, sensitive and well-informed actions. I believe the work we have been doing at PA Housing to support those most affected by coronavirus is a case in point.
When PA decided to donate £50,000 to charities operating foodbanks during the pandemic, we gave £20,000 to The Trussell Trust through the sector-wide More than Homes campaign and £30,000 to local charities operating in our most-deprived areas. These included BAME charities in Leicester and the East Midlands that provide food parcels suitable for particular BAME communities with specific dietary needs.
“As a vegetarian myself, I have a very personal understanding of how important it is to have access to the food you need in order to be able to respect my religion and culture”
PA has a proud BAME heritage and it was our long-held knowledge of our communities – as well as ongoing input from BAME staff members and customers – which led us to realise that if we genuinely want to support all customers struggling to feed themselves and their families in the face of the pandemic, we need to work with specialist foodbanks.
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As a vegetarian myself, I have a very personal understanding of how important it is to have access to the food you need in order to be able to respect my religion and culture. We need to listen to one another and work together to ensure the help we provide takes diversity into account.
Recently, Inside Housing announced its BAME editorial panel, of which I am extremely proud to have been named a member. Along with 10 other BAME individuals from across the housing sector, I will be taking part in regular virtual meetings in order to improve the magazine’s coverage of diversity, providing ideas for stories and research.
“Housing providers have a significant role to play in supporting BAME communities, not only to get through this current crisis but also help address the inequalities they were experiencing long before the pandemic”
As was the case when PA made decisions about its work with foodbank charities, I believe it will be the seemingly small insights that will lead to significant changes for Inside Housing and the way it represents diversity and comments on diversity issues within the housing sector.
This is a crucial time for our sector magazine to strive towards greater inclusivity as housing providers make sense of the ways our residents are being impacted by COVID-19.
We already know that BAME communities are being disproportionately affected by the virus. The government’s report, Beyond the Data: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on BAME Groups, published in June, confirmed that coronavirus death rates are higher among people from Black and Asian ethnic groups when compared with white ethnic groups.
The report concluded that the pandemic has “exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities affecting BAME groups in the UK”. Housing providers have a significant role to play in supporting BAME communities, not only to get through this current crisis but also help address the inequalities they were experiencing long before the pandemic.
A significant proportion of PA’s customers have lived through the prolonged lockdown of Leicester and its surrounding areas, and we know that while we have been able to fund the delivery of food parcels and hot food to older and vulnerable people throughout this period, many of these individuals have been living in isolation for a long time.
Meanwhile, we have been able to help those who are not able to pay for electricity by supplying energy top-ups and supporting individuals who have taken on tenancies with white goods and essential furniture – but we know their struggles predate the current crisis.
As we continue to deal with the fallout from the pandemic and hopefully begin to move beyond it, we need to ensure we continue talking and going above and beyond in order to make sure everything we have learned during these extraordinary months is put to good use.
What is needed from us in the longer term requires much deeper thought and even greater ambition. At PA, we’re well on our way to ensuring that an understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion informs all of our decisions, but like everything and everyone else, we’re a work in progress.
A constant dialogue and small but important actions will lead to greater respect and understanding of our differences, as well as a greater appreciation for one the thing that brings all of our colleagues together: our work to improve the lives of each and every one of our customers.
As part of Inside Housing’s BAME editorial panel, I will be sharing PA’s progress and listening hard to what others have to say.
Dilip Kavi, chief executive, PA Housing