Caritas Anchor House recruits diverse board members

Caritas Anchor House in the borough of Newham, east London has created a new initiative aimed to increase diversity on its Board. Its Board Diversity Programme was launched in June 2021 in partnership with the Housing Diversity Network (HDN). Candidates are taken through a development programme, creating a pool of next generation trustees with new skills and characteristics.

Joseph Ogundemuren applied to the Board Diversity Programme and recently was appointed to the Caritas Anchor House Board of Trustees. Joseph is an Operations Manager for Clarion Housing Group in East London. He leads on Clarion's Estate Services teams across Newham, who are responsible for keeping their estates safe, clean and well maintained.

Joseph said: "The homelessness crisis is an issue close to my heart. While growing up in East London, there was a period of time when I was forced to sofa surf to keep a roof over my head. I now work at a housing association, and I hear the concerns over rising living costs on a daily basis. I am looking forward to bringing my skills and experiences to serve the Newham community."

Kevin Maxwell and Johana Parker were successful in their applications to join the programme and will join the Board in the future.

Kevin said: "It's truly an honour to be joining The Board Diversity Programme. My experience of racism and homophobia led to me become homeless for over two years. I am now a writer and advocate of social justice and equality, and I want to use my knowledge and experience to ensure Caritas Anchor House consistently strives to be the very best it can be for its residents and employees."

Johana said: "The Board Diversity Programme is such an exciting opportunity for someone like me, who has come from a difficult background in Colombia. I have been exposed to extreme poverty in an area known for violence, drugs and homelessness, and have been really lucky to have found a path to a stable and fulfilling life. I now work for a national youth organisation and I am looking forward to enhancing my skills, so that I can extend the help I was offered to the people experiencing homelessness in East London."

Mushtaq Khan, Chief Executive of Housing Diversity Network said: "We believe that you can't magic up a diverse board overnight. Our programme recruits on potential rather the finished article and then works with the trainees on their personal development as well as on improving their board skills and knowledge. The board gains from better and more inclusive decision-making."

Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive of Caritas Anchor House said: "We're so pleased to have Joseph join our Board, and I look forward to welcoming our next generation trustees, as they graduate from our Board Diversity Programme. Equity, diversity and inclusion are central to everything we do at Caritas Anchor House and we will continue to think creatively about how we can prioritise this within all aspects of our work."

Last year Caritas Anchor House provided a home and support to 278 people experiencing homelessness, of which 49 secured and sustained employment, 137 moved on from Caritas Anchor House and into their own home. The Borough has the highest level of homelessness in the country (1 in 23 people). For more information see: www.caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/.

Caritas Anchor House has signed up to ACEVO's eight leadership principles, as part of their Racial Diversity in the Charity Sector report with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Read more about Caritas Anchor House's Diversity and Inclusion Commitments here: www.caritasanchorhouse.org.uk/about-us/our-commitment-diversity-and-inclusion

HDN is a social enterprise that aims to inspire and empower people, promoting equality, diversity and opportunity for all. More info here: www.housingdiversitynetwork.co.uk/