Community Highlights: Meet Amy Torrez of Amy’s Place

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Torrez.

Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started this nonprofit based on a six-month experience of temporary housing in Houston, Texas where my father was diagnosed and treated for lymphoma.

A local church provided fully furnished apartments for families that were traveling for their medical care. The apartment allowed me as the caregiver to rest, recharge and release any emotions I had in the privacy of my own space. In this home-like setting, I was able to cook meals for my father. They released him from the hospital in between treatments, but he was still not strong enough to travel home so now the temporary apartment became our home away from home.

While he beat the lymphoma, the treatment proved too much for his heart and he passed away of a heart attack in March of 2000, just 6 months after he was initially diagnosed. I then came back to Indiana where I saw the same sort of need for temporary housing for individuals traveling for medical care. I started a similar nonprofit in 2015 which not only became a way for me to pay forward the generosity that I received long ago, but also a way to provide the comfort and compassion I knew those individuals needed.

In October 2023, life circumstances brought me to southern California and it is here where I saw an even greater need for temporary housing.

With such a huge geographical area in Los Angeles county and troublesome traffic, providing the temporary housing for medical travel is very much needed.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a very smooth road to start a nonprofit in California. Being new to the area and not knowing anyone has made it very difficult to get in front of the right people. So really before I have been able to start work on the mission, I have had to build a strong network of people to help connect me with sympathetic community members and business owners. By educating the community that there is an option for temporary medical housing can be an option for many people who may not otherwise have treatment as an option.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Amy’s Place?
Amy’s Place is built on a passion for serving others. It is built on personal experience as well as professional experience. While I myself stayed in temporary housing for 6 months with my father, I have worked in the hospitality and insurance industries. I have worked several mid level and full service hospitality housing as well as managed several Airbnb’s. I have worked in the set-up and sales of events and hotel rooms as well as reservations, front desk and even as a bellhop.

I have also worked in life and health insurance and understand that traveling for medical treatment is rarely covered, if ever. Finally, while working in property and casualty insurance, I understand what preventative measures are needed and what to avoid when starting and running a business.

While our main mission is to provide temporary housing, we will offer listings of other resources that they may need such as Living Beauty Foundation, Cancer Support Community Center of San Gabriel Valley, yoga instructors, certified massage therapists for oncology massage, transportation and many more resources.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a strong catholic family and schools. So we were taught to love and treat others as you would like to be treated. I also grew up playing sports so I was always surrounded with strong communities and great people. There are several families that I grew up with that I still keep in contact with today even though we are spread out around the United States.

Pricing:

• $25 donation per month
• $50 donation per month
• $75 donation per month
• $100 donation per month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amysplace.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amys_place_1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amysplace1SGV
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amysplace/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Amysplace1