Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Panelists:
Mary-Rain O’Meara, Director, Real Estate Development, Central City Concern
Kerrie Bartel-Christensen, Interim Senior Vice President of Real Estate Strategy and Operations for Providence St. Joseph Health in the Oregon Region
Rose Bak, Chief Program Officer at Catholic Charities of Oregon
Matt Godt, Senior Project Manager/Business Development Manager, Walsh Construction
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Description:
Join the conversation, moderated by Matt Godt of Walsh Construction Co., as panelists from Central City Concern, Catholic Charities of Oregon, and Providence St. Joseph Health Oregon discuss how the integration of comprehensive care for the whole person and safe, stable shelter can successfully address the problem of chronic homelessness in communities. Health can’t happen when people don’t have safe and stable homes. To improve health outcomes, the organizations aimed to build affordable housing combined with onsite health services for lower income working people, including those who have experienced homelessness. Creating a comprehensive whole-person approach involves providing direct access to housing, which supports lifestyle change; attainment of income through employment and/or accessing benefits; integrated health care services that are highly effective in engaging people who are often alienated from mainstream systems; and the development of peer relationships that nurture and support personal transformation and recovery.