Furniture bank an investment in a better life
Niagara organization having a record-setting fall, and that’s not necessarily a good thing
To couch it in the proper terms, a little bit of furniture can go a long way.
Niagara Furniture Bank has been busy this fall. The executive director, Nancy Sutton, said it’s the busiest she can remember.
“The last month or month and a half, we have had a recordbreaking amount of people that need our services,” she said. “At this point, we don’t have concrete evidence why, but when you look at the rent prices these days, somebody on Ontario Works will find it pretty tough to pay first and last month’s rent, and then come up with some furniture.
“And sadly, here in St. Catharines, and it is true for everywhere, there is an infestation of bed bugs. And bed bugs have no boundaries. They can be in any home. Often people need all new furniture because their home is infested with bedbugs. Niagara is no different than Toronto or Hamilton or everywhere else.”
The agency operates out of St. Catharines but serves the entire region by collecting used home furnishings and giving them to people who need a helping hand.
The staff take beds, tables, chairs and other furnishings and help turn shelter into a home.
In 2017, the agency delivered furniture to 570 families and collected donations from 450 private homes. It worked with hotel partners to collect the equivalent of more than 400 hotel rooms worth of furnishings and divert 175 tonnes from landfill.
Organizations that refer clients to Niagara Furniture Bank, aside from Ontario Works, include Ontario disability support programs, Canadian Mental Health Society, public health, Family and Children’s Services Niagara, YWCA shelters and transitional housing, Hope Centre, Port Cares and Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.
“It is a great model,” Sutton said. “People can phone, and we will come and pick up the furniture. It has to be reasonably good condition. It can’t have stains or be torn. We pick up the furniture and give it to people in need across Niagara; and, unfortunately, that need is growing.
As housing costs in Niagara have soared in recent years, potential homeowners priced out of the market end up in rental units, which increases demand and drives up cost.
“We are truly Niagara-based,” Sutton said. “We run a lean machine here. We have four fulltime staff. We have a little workshop, and we rely on volunteers.
“We had a dresser that came in, and it was a little haggard, but it is amazing what some great paint can do. In my opinion, it looked beautiful. We will restain or glue a handle back on.”
Sutton said the bank is a winwin situation. The organization keeps furniture out of the landfill and helps people in the community.
Niagara Furniture Bank received a helping hand itself recently. The Wise Guys Charity Fund recently provided $25,000 for a truck.
“It is desperately needed,” Sutton said. “Ours are getting a bit battered.
“We have some amazing stories of people we have helped. Sometimes it’s newcomers to Canada. Sometimes it is a woman leaving a horrid situation. Some of the situations we have had made us a bit teary-eyed, for sure.”
For more information on getting furniture or donating, see www.niagarafurniturebank.com.