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Hillside Strong: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Hillside is a part of the communities we serve. Deep within our mission is an implicit commitment to supporting a diverse, equitable and inclusive society. Our agency is dedicated to reversing the multigenerational damage too often caused by poverty, trauma and neglect. Every day, our people see the links between those issues and structural racism and inequity.

Hillside’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

Hillside creates an inclusive environment where we leverage our diversity to build a strong, equitable community.

We support diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in all aspects of our work—for the good of our employees, and the youth and families we serve.

  • Hillside believes that Black lives matter. Our agency strongly opposes acts of racism and violence in any form.
  • Our executives actively engage with government, education and community leaders to explore the nature of structural problems, and how Hillside can make a difference.
  • Our harassment-free workplace policy explicitly supports a working environment that is free of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment.
  • An open door policy ensures that concerns can be brought to leaders without fear of retaliation.

Watch a brief video gallery of the Summer 2020 Black Lives Matter art exhibit featuring artwork created by young people in residential treatment at Hillside.

Hillside’s DE&I Structure

A diverse and inclusive community requires many points of view. Hillside’s DE&I commitment brings employees together at all levels of the organization, to ensure their voices are heard.

  • Ideas and suggestions for agency-wide change are shared with the Executive Council, which also meets monthly.
  • Affinity groups including Hillside Men of Color and Hillside Women of Color meet throughout the year, to share vital thoughts and perspectives.

Because these activities are fundamental to our effectiveness as an organization, staff participate in DE&I meetings as a part of their workday. The shape of the work continues to evolve, but our dedication to DE&I is unwavering—for the benefit of our employees, and the communities we all call home.

DE&I Update

Although DE&I is a year-round concern for the Hillside community, autumn traditionally sees a particular increase in employee activities following the vacation-rich summer months. For example, two affinity groups – the Hillside Men of Color and Hillside Women of Color groups – have resumed their regular meetings to connect and provide support, discussion, community engagement, celebration, networking and professional development. All Hillside employees of color are encouraged to participate.

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At our recent Employee Conference, we launched the next steps in our adoption of Safe Zone training, a highly interactive and in-depth effort dedicated to enhancing employees’ knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community. Safe Zone training is just one way in which Hillside is committed to active allyship through an intersectional lens. We’ll be offering more opportunities for our teams to engage in this and other DE&I trainings in the future.

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Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month! Through October 15, our staff and communities nationwide will be celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. This page at the Smithsonian offers a wide range of insights and resources about Hispanic cultural contributions—check it out!

Proud to partner with Social Current

The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation have joined to form Social Current. The combined mission is to advocate for and implement equitable solutions to society’s toughest challenges. As a longstanding member of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, Hillside is a proud member of this new partnership, supporting the effort to ignite change for an equitable society where all people can thrive.

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