Black History Month 2025: P3’s commitment to tackling racial inequality

Every October, Black History Month gives us an important moment to celebrate Black heritage and culture in the UK, to listen and learn from lived experiences and to reflect on the inequalities that still persist across our society.  

At P3 Charity, we know that homelessness and access to support is not experienced equally. As the recent Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research report confirms, Black communities in the UK are four times more likely to face homelessness than white communities. This is not a coincidence: It’s the outcome of systemic exclusion, discrimination and barriers to services; and as a charity at the heart of local communities across the UK, we believe it’s our responsibility to acknowledge these realities and work towards lasting change. 

Marking Black History Month in 2025 

This month we’ve been taking time with our teams and across our services and local communities to highlight and address the inequalities that Black people continue to face, especially in relation to access to housing. Beyond just talking about these systemic barriers, we’ve invited our teams with lived experience to deliver educational talks to colleagues about their communities, offering an opportunity to find out more about Black culture and history.  

At P3, we think it’s important that our learning opportunities encompass a breadth of knowledge and experiences. Black History Month provides a chance to reflect on the achievements, resilience and contributions of Black communities throughout history, while also deepening our understanding of the systemic challenges that persist today. By engaging with these stories and perspectives, we aim to create a culture of learning that is inclusive, respectful and empowering for everyone. 

Our commitment to equality and tackling discrimination runs to the heart of the services we run, not just for people accessing support, but for our colleagues. As an inclusive employer, P3 is committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and able to be themselves. Our interpretation of this year’s theme Standing Firm in Power and Pride is about creating space and opportunity for our colleagues to share their stories of cultural identity and to celebrate Black excellence.  

Some of the ways we are doing this include: 

• Lunch & Learn sessions: creating a space for all our colleagues and volunteers to learn more about Black history, confront systemic racism and how to apply this to our work. 

• Raising awareness: giving colleagues, volunteers and the people we support an opportunity to share their stories and lived experiences to amplify voices that often go unheard. 

• Community engagement: working directly with people who use our services to mark Black History Month in ways that matter to them, from cooking and cultural activities to open conversations about identity and belonging. 

Black History Month is a time for reflection, but it’s also about action, and for at P3, that means building inclusion into everything we do, every day of the year. 

A year-round commitment to inclusion 

While Black History Month is a powerful reminder about systemic inequalities that still need to be addressed, P3’s commitment to tackling inequality goes far beyond October and is a part of the delivery of our mission. Some of the ways we embed this year-round include: 

• Our People Board: We ensure that the voices of people with lived experience of our services influence and shape decision-making at every level of our organisation. 

• EDI recognition: Evidenced by our recent Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation Award, we hold ourselves accountable to national standards of equity, diversity and inclusion. 

• Accessible services: From our website to our frontline support, we prioritise accessibility so everyone feels welcome and understood. 

• Practical learning and activities: Whether through English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes, cooking sessions that celebrate cultural heritage or staff training, we create opportunities for growth and understanding. 

Looking forward 

At P3 Charity, we recognise the issues that Black communities face when accessing support or housing are part of wider systemic inequalities. Change requires listening, learning and taking action; not just in October, but all year round. 

We welcome anyone who would like share their experiences of inequality with us to help us learn and continue to develop our approach to ensure we’re inclusive and accessible for everyone.