Meet Angie Lozano. She owns Angie’s House, the first homeless shelter in the Verde Valley. In operation since 2000, she now owns twelve transitional homes and assisting individuals recovering from various addictions. She has received recognition from the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition for her efforts.
Q: How did this all come together for you?
A: I was a Chief Financial officer for quite some time. My dad was a teacher, and back then, the only retirement available was in education or working for the state. He encouraged me to become a teacher. Although I love teaching, I wanted to be an accountant or CFO. I went to college and became an accountant even though he kept harping about retirement. I got my dream job as a CFO. I loved it, and the income was significant. I started buying rental properties so that when it was time to retire, I had something to fall back on.
Q: How did acquiring rental properties evolve into helping others?
A: I began helping people with addictions by creating affordable housing with my rental properties. Senior citizens were next. Most seniors have pets, so in my homes, I don’t have any pet deposits. That seems to work well. Then about five years ago, I realized there was a need for individuals who we’re homeless, so I opened a homeless shelter. We work with individuals who are in need of a place for a day or two and they can stay for either two weeks or a month. What’s nice is that I can move them from the homeless shelter and transition them to my other homes.
Q: How have your parents influenced you?
A: The neat thing is that my mom raised me to be a caring individual. I give her a lot of credit. She always reminded me that you never know who you are helping. The most important thing is to help someone get shelter. As soon as you get a roof over their head, they can try to evolve. It’s the hierarchy of needs: having a safe place, food, and shelter. It’s been great, and I’ve been very blessed.
Q: What makes you proud?
A: I look back, and I am amazed that twenty years ago, this started. Who would have thought that this would have evolved in this manner? Currently, we have twelve locations, and I do have additional rental properties that eventually open. The application process is just a phone call away or accessible on Facebook. I interview them and try to get them housing quickly. Although we have subsidized housing in the Verde Valley area, the waiting list is between six months to two years. Luckily, they can stay with me until they have to transition to a subsidized house. Each year we’ll try to add another location
Q: What are you worried most about with this project?
A: I worry that I won’t be able to accommodate the need. This community living situation is proving to be very beneficial. As people age, they find that they are not alone. They have someone to share coffee with in the morning, and they watch out for one another.
Q: How do you finance this project?
A: The homeless project is 100% donations. All my house managers are volunteers.
Q: Are you seeking additional donations?
A: Yes! Donations are always fantastic. I don’t do events, but I try to do marketing. I try to keep our expenses very low, and I’m frugal. If you do the right things for the right reasons, it works out. We have had enough money to cover our homeless shelter for the last five years. In the first two years, I funded it myself.
Q: How do you compare yourself to other organizations that do this sort of thing?
A: I think we are a little different because we have enough locations where we can accommodate individuals with various needs. They are all alcohol and drug-free to keep the drama minimal. We are different because we have so many options.
Q: What is the fee, or does it vary?
A: It’s $125 a week if they can afford it. A lot of them have no money, and they have to go out and find a job. I haven’t raised my prices in 15 years. It’s affordable enough for individuals who are on a fixed income.
Q: Why do you do this?
A: I love fixing things, especially if there’s a situation when someone says you can’t do it, and it’s not going to work. There are ways of doing it. I try to figure out what’s going to work. We are all a community, and we are all neighbors helping neighbors.
Q: How do people find you?
A: It’s literally by word of mouth. But anyone can call or reach out via the internet and Facebook.
Q: How does it work when everybody has a pet?
A: It’s incredible! I don’t have the heart to tell them that they can only bring one of their pets. What’s nice is sometimes the owners are working outside the home, and those who don’t work outside the home will watch the dog or cat during the day.
Q: Why do you love Sedona?
A: I was born in Cottonwood and raised in Jerome until when I was 14 or 15 years old. We are so blessed to live this close to Sedona.
Q: Anything that we haven’t asked that you want the people to know?
A: One person can make a difference. It doesn’t have to be big; it can be small, but it will impact people. You don’t realize how much one person can change someone’s life, but you can.
From the Interview with Jonelle Klein
Edited by Carol Kahn
