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From Home Furnishing Business
Furnish Together Hosts First Policy Summit in Washington D.C.
July 23,
2025 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
Furnish Together: The National Furniture Bank Coalition, a first-of-its-kind network uniting furniture banks across the U.S., is hosting its first public policy briefing, “A Bed for Every Head,” on July 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The summit will spotlight the often-overlooked crisis of furniture poverty and present practical pathways to solutions through policy reform, resource coordination, and national awareness.
“Every family deserves access to affordable and quality housing, but a house is not a home without the everyday essentials that allow families to lead healthy and stable lives,” said Representative Andrea Salinas. “Local furniture banks like Community Warehouse help countless families get the furnishings they need, putting them on the path to self-sufficiency. I am proud to support Furnish Together as they bring national attention to this critical issue, and I will keep fighting to ensure every household has the support they need to thrive for generations.”
Furniture poverty, the lack of essential household furnishings, disrupts child development, hinders employment and education, and contributes to housing instability. With a shared mission to ensure every household has access to essential furniture for a safe, comfortable, and dignified home, Furnish Together is building a national community—one that allows furniture banks to share resources and collaborate on innovative, scalable solutions.
“Housing is the first step,” said Furnish Together Board Chair and Executive Director of Oregon’s Community Warehouse Anna Kurnizki. “When someone gets housed, they're often walking into empty rooms - but an empty house is not a home. Furniture poverty is a growing national crisis that is a serious barrier to lasting stability, and furniture banks are the most sustainable, strategic way to get essential furnishings into the homes of those who need it most.”
Public housing programs routinely cover rent, construction, casework, and other wrap-around services, but furniture is rarely included. This gap in support might suggest that furniture poverty is a rare or minor issue. However, recent data shows it is both widespread and deeply impactful.
According to a nationally representative survey commissioned by Furnish Together member A Wider Circle in spring 2025:
32% of U.S. residents are currently experiencing furniture poverty—lacking access to one or more essential household furniture items.
2 in 10 households do not have enough beds for everyone to sleep on.
3 in 10 lack a couch for relaxing or a dresser for storing clothing.
4 in 10 are missing multiple critical items needed for a functional, safe, and healthy home.
Over a lifetime, 66% of people have experienced furniture poverty at least once, and 20% experienced it three or more times.
Furniture banks in the U.S. have historically operated in isolation, with limited funding, public awareness, or opportunities to collaborate with peers across regions or states. Recognizing this gap, leaders from Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania came together in 2024 to form Furnish Together, creating a national platform for sharing resources, sustainability initiatives, innovative solutions, and more.
Local furniture banks play a critical role in housing stability—creating homes, not just units. Furnish Together was formed to equip, connect, and magnify the work of furniture banks nationwide, providing:
Shared resources: Strengthening the capacity of local furniture banks by sharing tools, infrastructure, and support to provide more families with essential furnishings.
Collective advocacy: Raising national awareness about furniture poverty and advocating for policies that connect access to furniture with stable, affordable housing.
National momentum: Collecting and sharing data to demonstrate the impact of furniture banks and drive research-backed solutions nationwide.
According to Kurnizki, the coalition encourages participating furniture banks to look beyond day-to-day service delivery and toward upstream systems change–engaging in advocacy, refining best practices, and amplifying their voices in policy conversations.
Furnish Together Founding Board Members
Chair – Anna Kurnizki, Executive Director of Community Warehouse in Portland, Oregon
Vice Chair – Amy Javaid, President & CEO of A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, Maryland
Secretary – Betsy Reznicek, Executive Director of Home Sweet Home in St. Louis, Missouri
Treasurer – Philip Washburn, President & CEO of Furniture Bank of Central Ohio in Columbus, Ohio
Strategic Advisor – Stephen McCrary, independent consultant and former Furniture Bank Executive Director in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.