Portland’s Cascade AIDS Project has adopted a $15-per hour minimum wage policy. The organization also said it would continue to cover full benefits for nearly all employees, including those working part-time.

Cascade AIDS Project is the region’s largest HIV/AIDS service organization. The organization has paid state-mandated minimum wage for some time, but the decision to adopt a $15-per hour minimum wage was prompted by the high cost of living in the Portland area.

“As a public health agency, CAP is committed to promoting health and equity for all Oregonians, and this includes economic stability,” said CAP Executive Director Tyler TerMeer. “Today, a worker earning minimum wage at a full-time job does not make enough to meet the basic needs of life. Living in poverty has a dramatic effect on one’s health — this is especially true if you are HIV positive. Raising the minimum wage is a necessary step in addressing this issue.”

TerMeer said the organization supported raising the state minimum wage to $15 a hour as “an important step toward economic justice.”