Newly Housed People Get Help from the NW Furniture Bank

May 21, 2023  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry   

Very often, when participants of these programs have completed them, they are focused on finding food, housing, and clothes. What is often overlooked are the household needs, even beyond towels and sheets, they need something to put them on. They need furniture!

NW Furniture Bank meets these needs by providing furniture to those transitioning into their own homes. Furniture is also available for foster children who age-out of the program, and for people who lose all of their possessions in natural disasters such as fire or flood.

The NW Furniture Bank strives to give their clients a bed to sleep on, a sofa to sit on, and a table to eat from. Hundreds of volunteers are using their time, talents and donated furniture to restore hope, dignity and stability to families that are working hard to rebuild their lives.

An article in the NW publication, The Columbian, they highlighted the NW Furniture Bank and what they are doing to help provide the furniture to make the new residence feel like home.

In Vancouver and Tacoma, WA, this nonprofit is part of a solution to this problem.

The furniture bank operates out of Hope Furnishing in Tacoma. After 30 years as a wholesale furniture representative, recently retired co-founder and Executive Director Bill Lemke wanted to help his community and create the equivalent of a food bank for furniture.

In October of last year, Mr. Lemke retired, and Jeremy Simler became the organization’s new executive director after having spent his previous 9 years with the organization.

Shopping at the Furniture Bank operates almost entirely on donations. According to Hope Furniture and the Furniture Bank’s Retail Manager, Christina Howsley, “I would say we run on a 20/80 model — with 20 percent new merchandise and 80 percent donated. Obviously, it fluctuates depending on the season. Right now we are ramping up with donations because of estate sales and people deep cleaning their houses.”

Haven Davis, client services specialist, estimates that the bank serves approximately 50 clients per month.

According to the article in The Columbian, shopping at the furniture bank costs households a flat rate of $100, which is sometimes covered by the referring agency, and once the referral is complete, clients walk through the bank, select items on their list and finish off with kitchenware.

“People get really excited about this part, because it’s the little stuff that really makes a house a home,” said Davis.

There are lots of ways to help this furniture bank, you can check out their website at nwfurniturebank.org. There are also other banks like this one around the country, helping families that need assistance with furniture. Just check around where you live to find a way to help.