This week, at a live National League of Cities announcement event, Kaiser Permanente unveiled plans to invest $200 million in housing and homelessness prevention as part of Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment.
In front of an audience of city leaders and health experts, Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, made the announcement. Joining Tyson were Mayor Vi Lyles of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Catherine Pugh of Baltimore, Maryland, Mayor Allison Silberberg of Alexandria, Virginia, Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, California, and Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon.
As the nation’s largest integrated health system, Kaiser Permanente announced an investment of $200 million, through its Thriving Communities Fund, to address housing stability and homelessness within the cities and communities it serves.
Now more than ever, Kaiser Permanente’s mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its more than 12-million members extends well beyond the four walls of its hospitals and medical offices. In its announcement, Kaiser noted that in addition to making a measurable social impact, a key goal for its investment is to see a financial return, which would allow the fund to grow and replenish itself for future projects.
[blog_subscription_form title=”Subscribe to CitiesSpeak” subscribe_text=”Get the essential news and tools for city leadership, delivered daily by email.” subscribe_button=”Submit”]
NLC also recognizes the need for continued investment in the fight to end homelessness. NLC is committed to providing advocacy and solutions for addressing the growing need for affordable housing. Housing stability has long been recognized as a key determinant of a person’s overall health and well-being and homelessness is estimated to affect over 550,000 people each day. Kaiser Permanente aims to positively impact these metrics with its new investment.
In addition to generating housing stability and improving health outcomes, Kaiser recognizes that its investments in communities will have the potential to create a broader national conversation on homelessness, and encourage other companies to join in advancing positive economic, social, and environmental conditions for good health.
Tyson recognized Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment’s role in facilitating that larger dialogue. A first-of-its-kind coalition of local governments and business leaders, Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment is well positioned to advance public-private partnerships that tackle affordable housing and homelessness and actively oppose federal funding cuts.
NLC is a founding partner of Mayors and CEOs, with Holland and Knight LLP, and has been a key provider of policy support and leader in connecting the work of the initiative to cities. Click here to see mayors from around the country speak about the importance of Kaiser Permanente’s investment.
About the Author: Terrah W. Glenn is the Senior Associate for Housing within NLC’s Center for City Solutions. In addition to pursuing dual Master’s degrees in the fields of urban and regional planning and landscape architecture, Terrah works on the Center’s full range of research priorities with special emphasis on the areas of affordable housing, urban innovation, sustainability, and economic development.