April 15, 2025
3 ways we’re helping build and preserve affordable housing
Good health starts with having a safe, affordable place to live.
M Carter Commons in Portland, Oregon, is an affordable housing complex for older adults that will be built on land donated by Kaiser Permanente.
Many of the communities we serve need more housing options.
Rents are rising. There aren’t enough affordable homes. More people than ever are forced to sleep in their cars or on the streets.
To keep people healthy — not just treat them when they’re sick — we need to address the U.S. housing crisis.
There’s no single answer. But increasing the number of affordable homes is key.
At Kaiser Permanente, we want to be part of the solution. Here are 3 examples of how we’re making this happen in communities across the U.S.
Land gift to create affordable housing for older adults
We recently celebrated the ground-breaking of M Carter Commons, an affordable apartment community in Portland, Oregon, for older adults.
Kaiser Permanente donated the land for the complex. Formerly used for office spaces and equipment repair, this land will be turned into 62 affordable apartments.
Northwest Housing Alternatives and Urban League of Portland are co-owners and developers of the property.
This project will provide much-needed housing for older adults, who are at greater risk for homelessness.
Construction loan for housing for Maui health workers
In 2023, wildfires destroyed the homes of many people living on the island of Maui. The fires worsened the island’s ongoing housing shortage.
To address an urgent need for affordable housing for health care workers, Kaiser Permanente issued a $10 million construction loan to help fund 16 new rental homes.
Maui Health Foundation is building the new units, with additional support from Maui County, which donated the land. The new housing is within walking distance of the facilities that employ many of Maui’s health care professionals.
The new housing will provide health care workers with an affordable rental housing option while they search for or rebuild homes.
Funding that helps preserve affordable housing
When affordable housing is available, it’s important to keep it that way.
But as cities grow and attract more residents, rent and home prices can rise steeply. Older buildings with affordable housing may get torn down to make way for new, more-expensive homes.
Kaiser Permanente helps fund a program that protects affordable housing units in small- and medium-sized buildings. The program is called Preservation Next, and it’s led by Enterprise Community Partners.
There aren’t many resources to preserve this type of housing. So, the program offers a national toolkit and regional training academies for developers, owners, and managers. It guides them in how to buy, fix, and keep these homes affordable.
To date, the program has helped preserve more than 1,600 homes and worked directly with affordable housing leaders in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
