PORTLAND, Ore. -- A multi-million dollar facility that will double as a health care clinic, and affordable housing will be going up soon in Northeast Portland.
The building’s name was expected to be announced at a groundbreaking at 2 p.m. at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Burnside where right now, a parking lot and closed pizza place sit.
The building will house a two-story health care facility to help people with recovery, mental health, and primary care services.
It is estimated the clinic will serve 3,000 people every year. The building also has room for transitional housing, permanent housing and resources will be on hand to help people find and keep jobs.
Many members of the health care industry are celebrating the building, along with people at Central City Concern, a Portland non-profit dedicated to serving the homeless, poverty and addiction.
Sean Hubert, Central City Concern chief housing and employment officer, says the project costs about $50 million, money that comes from investors who believe in the project, from local individuals, to donations nationwide. Also, some of the funds come from a partnership with local health care entities.
He also says this building makes history for Central City Concern. For the first time in 40 years, they will have affordable housing and medical, in the same place.
“We've always had a kind of scattered approach to this, where someone might be living over here, and they have to get some services over there,” said Hubert. “This is the first time we are really bringing all of that into one location.”
“What we are really trying to do is to help wrap someone that is isolated in poverty, on the streets, maybe suffering a mental illness, that sort of a thing, and wrap them back into the fabric of the community.”
The building will open in 2019.