Media
February 2019

Advocacy and More: Philanthropy’s Role in Two Big New Initiatives to Tackle the Housing Crisis

From Inside Philanthropy
Housing affordability may be the toughest challenge now facing major metro areas in the U.S., especially in affluent coastal areas. Last month, California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, made this issue a top priority, committing significant new resources to housing in his proposed state budget. Other public leaders have been stepping up, too, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Pressure is also growing on both business and philanthropy to do more to ensure housing affordability. And in recent weeks, we’ve seen dramatic movement along these lines. One such effort is focused... View article
Media
January 2019

$500 million affordable housing fund launches in the Bay Area

From Housing Wire
Housing affordability has become a tremendous concern for many Americans navigating expensive West Coast housing markets, but a new partnership could provide Californians with significant relief. Various housing advocates, tech and business leaders recently announced the launch of a regional public-private housing partnership that could potentially become the Bay Area’s largest investment toward affordable housing. The partnership intends to provide $500 million in order to solve interconnected challenges of housing, transportation and economic opportunity in the Bay Area. “The scope of the housing crisis requires bold action. And it also requires that all sectors... View article
Media
January 2019

Bay Area consortium pledges $500M for affordable homes

From Mountain View Voice
Several Peninsula-based nonprofit organizations and companies are part of a new public-private partnership that aims to secure $500 million to help build more affordable housing in the Bay Area, the group announced Thursday. Known as Partnership for the Bay’s Future, the collaboration is being funded by 10 organizations in the philanthropic, business and community-advocacy sectors. The initiative is billing itself as “one of the country’s largest investment funds to address the regional affordable housing crisis,” according to a press release. “The housing crisis is the most serious issue facing our region —... View article
Media
January 2019

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has a $500 million plan to ease the Bay Area housing crisis

The housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area has been growing worse, with no end in sight, for over a decade. This year, though, may be the one in which some of the most powerful players in the region step up to do something about it. On January 15, the Oakland-based healthcare nonprofit Kaiser Permanente committed more than $50 million to preserve affordable housing in the city. And nine days after that, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the Ford Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) introduced a large fund... Read more
Media
January 2019

Healthcare giant Kaiser buys Oakland building for affordable housing

From SF Curbed
The Oakland-based healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente announced a surprise entry into the housing sector Wednesday, a gesture that the company frames as a health-related move by way of cutting back on housing insecurity. According to a company announcement, “an approximate $5.2 million has been committed to acquire a 41-unit housing complex in East Oakland, near Kaiser Permanente’s national headquarters” for affordable housing purposes. Kaiser identifies the building as the Kensington Gardens Apartments on 26th Avenue, a circa-1928 building that previously sold in 2015 for $4.15 million.... View article
News
January 2019

EBALDC Partners with Kaiser Permanente on Fund for Housing Affordability

EBALDC is proud to announce our partnership with Kaiser Permanente, Enterprise Community Partners, and the City of Oakland on the Housing for Health Fund, a segment of Kaiser Permanente’s $200 million commitment to tackling housing insecurity through their Thriving Communities Fund. Kaiser Permanente has committed to investing $50 million towards housing affordability efforts in the Bay Area, half of which is prioritized for Oakland. Their first investment will be approximately $5.4 million towards Kensington Gardens Apartments, a 41-unit housing complex in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland and EBALDC’s latest acquisition.... Read more
Media
January 2019

Kaiser Permanente Announces Three Initiatives to Improve Community Health by Tackling Housing Insecurity

From Cision PR Newswire
OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Kaiser Permanente today unveiled several major initiatives that will improve health outcomes by creating stable housing for vulnerable populations. The initiatives — including seeding a real estate investment in Oakland, anchoring a $100 million national loan fund for affordable housing and kicking off a plan to end homelessness for more than 500 Oakland-area residents — are part of a comprehensive strategy to advance the economic, social and environmental conditions for health in the communities that Kaiser Permanente serves. At a press conference with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and several partners, Kaiser Permanente Chairman and... View article
Media
January 2019

This healthcare giant invests millions in affordable housing to keep people healthy

From Fast Company
In an East Oakland neighborhood on the verge of gentrification, when an affordable apartment complex went up for sale–and tenants there risked steeply rising rents–Kaiser Permanente, the largest private integrated healthcare system in the U.S., helped put up the money to buy the building and keep rent low. It’s the first impact investment for the Oakland-based company’s $200 million Thriving Communities Fund, and one of three major projects the company announced today. Along with the nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners, Kaiser created a new joint equity fund called the Housing for Health Fund and contributed $5.2 million... View article
Media
January 2019

Kaiser Announces 3 Initiatives To Fight Homelessness During Event With Mayor Schaaf

From SF Gate
Kaiser Permanente leaders on Tuesday announced three major initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes by creating stable housing for homeless people in Oakland and across the country. Bernard Tyson, the chairman and chief executive of Kaiser, which is based in Oakland, said, “Housing security is a crucial health issue for vulnerable populations.” Joined by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and others at a news conference at City Hall, Tyson said, “Access to affordable housing is a key component to Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of our members and the communities... View article
Media
January 2019

Kaiser Permanente to spend $5.2 million on affordable housing in Oakland

From East Bay Times
OAKLAND – Kaiser Permanente announced Tuesday it will spend $5.2 million to purchase a 41-unit apartment building in East Oakland, the health care giant’s first step in its aggressive effort to shelter the homeless and improve health care for the poor. The Oakland-based company also revealed plans to partner with the city and community aid groups to identify, house and provide services for 500 vulnerable homeless people over the age of 50. “Kaiser Permanente believes that in the 21st century there are certain things we should resolve and certain principles we should stand... View article