Why Kaiser Permanente is investing in housing

The details: Kaiser Permanente has pledged up to $200 million over three years for programs to alleviate homelessness and expand access to affordable housing.

• Those funds are considered “impact investments,” meaning they’ll need to generate a return, CityLab reports — perhaps through “residential developments that mix homeless services and market-rate housing.”
• Kaiser Permanente will spend that money in the markets where it operates already — eight states and Washington, D.C.

Why it matters: “The benefits of combining housing and healthcare to treat chronic homelessness are abundant,” CityLab says.

• It cites a program in Philadelphia that tied together Medicaid coverage and housing supports, which kept many recipients in stable housing conditions and led to a reduced burden on emergency rooms.