JUST Program: Available to HDC Members
Guest post written by Francis Janes, JUST Program Manager
Developed by Seattle based International Living Future Institute, the JUST Program is a robust and elegant social justice transparency platform and disclosure tool. The JUST Program can be viewed as a “nutrition label” for socially responsible organizations and corporations. The JUST Label provides at-a-glance information about an organization’s progress in key social justice categories such as diversity, equity, safety, employee benefit, local benefit and community stewardship.
When organizations participate in the JUST Program, organizations can test how they are really doing in reference to these social justice metrics and, as a result, may choose to work towards greater social justice and equity in the workplace. The JUST Program is available to all organizations in all sectors including publicly traded corporations, privately held businesses, non-profits, government agencies, educational institutions, and cooperatives.
One of the major objectives of the JUST Program is to help improve the business and human resources policies, practices, and programs of thousands of organizations worldwide. Another major objective is to elevate the cause of social justice, equity and diversity in the workplace.
The Institute has partnered with the Housing Development Consortium to make the JUST Program available at a 50% discount of the initial program fee for members. The JUST Program Fee for an organization between 5 and 25 employees is $500 – which means the initial program fee for a HDC member is only $250.
Once a HDC Member has applied and been approved as a JUST organization, the organization’s JUST label is valid for two years after date of publication. After two years, the member organization can opt to renew their label at the original discounted fee. HDC Members will also be exempt from the initial program registration fee of $100.
The JUST Program demonstrates an organization’s commitment to social justice and equity issues referenced by the information provided for every category and indicator in the JUST Program manual. Once issued, the JUST Label can be used by an organization on their website, internal communications, annual reports, corporate social responsibility reports, posters and in marketing materials to show commitment, progress and public transparency on these issues.
Example of a JUST label
The Institute is pleased to highlight the achievement of GGLO, a HDC member, as the first design firm in Washington State to achieve the JUST Label. GGLO is participating in the JUST program in support of elevating the equity conversation in all organizations that shape our community, not just those who manufacture products and construct projects. Alicia Daniels Uhlig, Principal and Director of Sustainability at GGLO, noted that, “The JUST program helps organizations meaningfully address the triple bottom line. Of the three pillars of sustainability – Economics, Environment, Equity – our industry is exploring ways to address equity. JUST promotes the equity discussion beyond projects with a public use or affordable housing program element, and is helping create a common language for equity issues.”
Please contact me, at [email protected] or 206-223-2028 ext. 37 for more information.
