By Tori Smith
They made sure it was ADA accessible. They added kitchens, a sprinkler system, an on-site office space, and on-site laundry facilities. They made it “liveable, sustainable, and decent for folks to live long term,” said Devonna McLaughlin, chief executive officer of Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona (HSNA).
McLaughlin is referring to a new project taken on by HSNA: Oak Wash Homes. Oak Wash
Homes is HSNA’s second hotel conversion, sitting off of Highway 260 in what used to be known as Cottonwood’s Verde Valley Inn. The homes are centrally located near amenities, transportation, grocery, banking, and other services.
HSNA’s conversion of the hotel is considered an adaptive reuse strategy. Adaptive reuse is the “renovation and re-use of pre-existing structures (such as warehouses) for new purposes.”
“Housing is expensive, period,” said McLaughlin. “How can we look at adaptive reuse strategies?” McLaughlin said the conversion is taking an underutilized resource and converting it into a residential benefit.
Oak Wash Homes was born with 32 permanent units of opportunity for its future residents. The units are studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedroom apartments.
Based on her experience with HSNA's first hotel conversion project, McLaughlin believes that most of the tenants who reside in Oak Wash Homes will be those who are on a fixed income, and those of smaller families because they’re smaller units. The rent would be about $375 a month, and scale up based on household income.
The conversion started in 2023. Recently, with local partners such as volunteers from the Sedona Community Food Bank, the Sedona Lodging Council, Knights of Columbus, the Sedona Housing Coalition and the Board of Directors, they were able to work together and build 34 bed frames and 32 table sets for its future residents.
McLaughlin said HSNA is excited for two reasons: for one, it’s the organization's first housing development in the Verde Valley. Two, it’s its first large-scale development outside of Flagstaff (a significant investment and geographic expansion.)
The organization owns and operates 27 affordable rental units in Flagstaff. HSNA also operates Sharon Manor, which provides 29 transitional apartments and trauma-informed case management for homeless domestic violence survivors.
JoJo’s Place, another of HSNA's transitional housing programs, is comprised of 44 furnished studios paired with support services for residents to transition to permanent housing.
“It’s exciting for us and meaningful,” she said. “We’re here, and we’re here to stay. We’re investing dollars and time to create resources in the Verde Valley area.”
One of the families who has engaged with HSNA's housing programs was the family of Jennifer Matthews. She and her husband (who happens to also be her caregiver) moved to Flagstaff in September of 2023 from Washington.
They were living in a Flagstaff shelter until March 2024, when Matthews said that she was able to find the pair affordable housing in one of HSNA’s properties. A reason it was attractive was because service animals are allowed, which meant that Matthews’ English bulldog, Oreo Mae, was able to live with them.
One of the most notable things that the HSNA property has afforded Matthews is privacy. In the shelter, she said her and her husband were within five feet of another person at all times, if not closer.
Homelessness in Arizona
The entire state of Arizona is affected by homelessness, but there are fewer available resources and housing options in rural areas compared to urban areas like Maricopa County. HSNA is making a difference for those who are affected by homelessness.
A 2023 report from the Arizona Department of Economic Security found that there were 14,237 people statewide who were experiencing homelessness, and 2,386 of those were outside of Maricopa County and Tucson/Pima.
McLaughlin asks us to consider: How can you live if you don’t know where you’re living tonight?
Housing equals health
The social determinants of health, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” The five determinants are economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
The CDC found that the social determinants of health have been shown to have a greater influence on health than genetic factors or access to healthcare. Having all five social determinants of health satisfied is health care within itself.
Jamie Podratz, public policy advocate for the Arizona Housing Coalition, echoed how important housing is for one’s health. She mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic brought up the topic of housing a lot.
“COVID-19 was the thing that solidified the importance of stability at home,” she said.
HSNA is planning to partner with local organizations so “folks can live with dignity and respect,” said McLaughlin. It's planning to work with churches, homeless shelters, substance abuse programs, and transitional housing programs.
She said investing in housing could solve so many other problems, too.
“Investment in housing is truly one that pays dividends, and you really see the benefits year after year. Family after family.”
To learn more about HSNA, visit www.housingnaz.org.