Bath Housing is pleased to announce the appointment of Angie Edgecomb as it’s new Occupancy Coordinator. Angie is a longtime resident of Woolwich, where she and her husband raised their son Max. Past employment over the years – as a small business owner, an HR director, and a mortgage lender in particular — has certainly helped prepare her for the role of assisting people with the application process for residency at Bath Housing properties.
Confirming qualifying information and resolving issues like income and employment changes can be overwhelming for people. The complex criteria vary for rentals in properties that are both subsidized and non-subsidized, sometimes involving a voucher process and frequently focusing differently on income and age requirements. As an Occupancy Coordinator, Angie’s number one goal is to help people complete the process and move into a new, accessible home, and that is what drives her.
“What’s nice is really looking at applicants of varying ages and incomes and helping people where they are,” she said. “When I was in banking, the most satisfying loans I completed were for first time home-buyers of lower incomes. For me, it wasn’t generating loans for people already very well positioned financially, it was assisting people in moving forward in their lives that gave me great satisfaction.”
As the owner/operator of Starlight Café in Bath for 11 years, Angie gained a robust skill set – and solidified her commitment to this community. Her time in HR was spent working with young, first-job staffers on issues like health care and benefits. The team was very large (100 people) involving some six different native languages, and ever-changing industry standards. She also spent several years assisting asylum-seeking families from other countries both in learning English (as a tutor) and as a cultural navigator and home-finder. All of this speaks to someone with both impeccable management skills and a certain level of compassion, characteristics that nurture community.
“I feel so welcomed, and so embraced by everyone here,” Angie said. “It’s a small, incredibly talented group, and I could not be happier. They treat people with such respect – residents will always, always connect with a staff person and get a call back. I love that. I feel so lucky, finding a position where you can think creatively to meet people’s needs, while ensuring we are also meeting the necessary criteria to make things happen.”
In her spare time, Angie is an avid gardener, and in the spring, volunteers with Maine’s Big Night, counting amphibians for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. She and her husband enjoy searching for antique and vintage treasures around the state, and both Justin and Max’s musical performances (in very different bands!) keep them happily busy.