Aegis Living, a provider of senior assisted-living and memory care in Washington, is donating $1 million in support of efforts to combat chronic homelessness.

The donation (announced in June) to Plymouth Housing, a not-for-profit housing agency based in Seattle, is the largest in Aegis’ history and will be used by Plymouth to develop new permanent housing and enhance community support and services for Plymouth Housing residents. 

Paul Lambros, chief executive officer for Plymouth Housing, credited financial support from Aegis and other organizations for helping Plymouth “dramatically reduce the gap between available housing and those who need it most. And we will have the ability to build out the wrap-around care and support needed to support residents and help them thrive well into the future.”

While Plymouth Housing, a non-profit organization, works with adults of all ages, many of them are seniors and veterans who may experience disabilities, mental health challenges, dementia, or substance-use conditions, Lambros said. An ongoing challenge for aging adults, especially those overcoming homelessness and hardship, is social isolation. Aegis Living will work with Plymouth Housing to develop activities for residents to help create a sense of community and belonging, as Aegis does every day at its 31 assisted-living and memory care communities, according to Kris Engskov, president of Aegis. 

Aegis will facilitate workshops covering overall health and safety for an aging population and caring for those living with mental and/or physical challenges.

“The first step to a happy, healthy life is achieving the stability and security of long-term housing and care, but our work can’t stop there,” said Dwayne Clark, founder of Aegis Living. “We must give people the opportunity to come alive.”

Aegis is headquartered in Bellevue. It operates 31 communities in Washington, California and Nevada. Seven more are being developed.

Plymouth Housing was born from concern among members of Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle over homelessness.