Healthcare Provider Gives $2.27 Million to Help House Homeless in Portland

Kaiser Permanente Northwest has taken action in the fight against homelessness—acknowledging that adequate healthcare is impossible for people living on the streets.

1 minute read

January 18, 2017, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Homeless Encampment

Joshua Rainey Photography / Shutterstock

"Kaiser Permanente Northwest announced Monday that it's donating $2.27 million to seven nonprofit organizations to help homeless people with mental illness and addiction problems find a permanent place to live," reports Aimee Green.

The grants will be awarded to seven charities in Oregon, covering a geographic are from Cowlitz County in the north to Lane County in the south, according to Green. The seven charities receiving the funding from Kaiser Permanente Northwest: Catholic Charities of Oregon, Catholic Community Services of the Mid-Willamette Valley and Central Coast, Love Overwhelming, Outside In, ShelterCare, the Urban League of Portland, and Willamette Family Inc.

Green also explains Kaiser's reasoning behind the donation:

Kaiser decided to focus its money on housing for homeless people after hearing that the lack of a stable home made it virtually impossible for them to get meaningful treatment, said Andrew McCulloch, president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan of the Northwest.

The article details how some of the charities plan to use the grant funding, as well as data on efforts to house the region's homeless—an issue of acute importance after a series of storms has left Portland covered in snow and ice for over a week.

Monday, January 16, 2017 in The Oregonian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.