ABOUT USWhat We Do


Approach
Once an individual or family has been referred to us, we go right to work.

Initial Home Visit

A small team of volunteers visits the home. They talk with the residents, learn their needs/preferences, take measurements and prepare a layout of the furniture we’ll install.

Based on the visit, we make a detailed list of needs, including size constraints, color preferences, and whether the items should be new (beds, linens, and towels) or gently used (furniture and appliances). We send this online sign-up list to past and potential donors and post it on several local NextDoors.

Within a week of the visit, we deliver a "Starter Kit," including new beds, pillows, sheets, and towels; basic kitchen items; and a temporary folding table and chairs to keep the residents going until we deliver the rest of the furnishings on Welcoming Day.

On Welcoming Day

MORNING


  • Donors drop off smaller sized items at our designated drop-off location.

  • Volunteers check in donations and pack them up for delivery that afternoon.

  • Volunteer movers from either Birch Circle Movers, North Bay Moving and Storage or Robb & Messer Moving and Storage pick up large furniture items and bring them to the central drop off location. Large and small donations are then sorted by apartment.

Heidi

AFTERNOON


  • When the moving trucks and volunteers arrive at the apartments, the individuals and families are asked to leave their homes for a few hours while we set everything up.

  • The movers install the large furniture pieces under the direction of volunteers

  • Volunteers make the beds with new comforters, put away the kitchen items, hang pictures, recycle the boxes and make sure everything is ready for the residents’ return.

  • When the residents come back, their place is fully furnished and outfitted. They don’t have to do any set-up work—they can just relax and enjoy their new home.

Shakira
“It feels so good to help someone in the initial transition from homelessness to having a home. Being able to help make a difference in their lives is very rewarding.”
Fran H., Volunteer