SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Concho Valley Community Action Agency has been assisting the Wes Texas homeless and low income population since the mid-1900s.
For the past twelve or thirteen years, this non-profit was located in the Cactus Hotel basement in San Angelo.
At the start of 2023, they moved to a brighter, more welcoming area near the center of the city.
"There was really nowhere for us to talk to clients and have that privacy," CVCAA Marketing and Outreach Director Sidney Timmer said. "So we started looking for a new location and ended up here at Concho Suites."
On May 17, the organization celebrated its new building with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 133 W Concho Ave, Suite 301.
San Angelo partners, donors, board of directors and other community members attended the event, which celebrated a more open safe space.
"It takes a lot for someone to come in and ask for help and so having them spill their life story with other ears around is really difficult," Timmer said. "And so we have cubicles where we can really talk to them, really hear their stories, get it all out and then we can see what other ways we can connect them to resources beyond our capacity."
CVCAA assists those in need by providing hygiene kits, utility assistance, weatherization and more.
They work with eleven counties across West Texas including Coke, Concho, and Runnels.
For Timmer, giving clients a sunny space helps make stressors like surveys and paperwork feel like less of a burden.
"As weird as it sounds, I feel like we are removing the stigma of asking for help and being in a very visible, bright location," she said. "It's okay, everyone needs help sometimes and we're very happy to give that hand up to our neighbors."
The CVCAA hopes to continue helping clients for years to come.
