Nonprofit seeking facility for donations

Group helps people make the transition out of homelessness

A local nonprofit is seeking a new home for its donation center after alleged mold and roof leaks damaged furniture intended to help individuals transition out of homelessness.

Sara Wilson, the director of development and operations for Journey Home, said the organization’s furniture collection and donation program is in desperate need of a new 3,000-square-foot warehouse — and she is asking the public to help in the search.

On Wednesday, Wilson said volunteers removed most of the items stored in one of two warehouses rented by Journey Home after staff said they discovered mold in the unit located at 635 New Park Ave. in West Hartford.

Wilson said Journey Home lost two couches to the alleged mold after a leak in the roof went unrepaired. Wilson said property owners have failed to address leaks in both rentals. At least one lawsuit brought by another tenant alleging similar damage is currently pending in Hartford Superior Court.

A representative of Alta Property Group said they were not aware of ongoing leaks in the units rented by Journey Home. The representative said the property group learned about the most recent incident in an email roughly a week ago.

The representative said the property group had only one record of a leaking wall in Journey Home’s tenant files. The representative said that in this instance, Journey Home could not provide documentation demonstrating regular property maintenance and that in these situations repairs would fall on the tenant, not the property owner.

“Those warehouses hold all of the donated furniture and household items that come from all over the community that ultimately end up in the homes of people who move from homelessness to housing,” Wilson said. “We don’t want any further damage to our furniture.”

Wilson said Journey Home is currently storing everything from the vacated warehouse in three 300-square-foot units at a storage center around the corner.

Wilson said Journey Home is looking to move to a new location as soon as possible, but especially before the lease on their remaining warehouse at 635 New Park Ave. ends this August.

On Wilson’s wishlist is a 3,000-square-foot facility in the West Hartford area with a loading dock and proximity to local bus routes.

Wilson explained that a nearby bus line is non-negotiable — clients who lack a car or other transportation options need to be able to reach the facility to pick out items and meet with case managers.

She also explained that, if not in West Hartford, the warehouse would ideally be located nearby in Newington, Hartford, the North End or Windsor.

“A lot of our volunteers are from West Hartford, and so it does become a matter of convenience for them,” Wilson said. “I don’t want our volunteers having to drive half an hour to our warehouse because then that could disincentivize them to continue working with us.”

“This program really runs on volunteers,” Wilson explained. “We have staff members, but we need volunteers every day of the week to make this work.”

Wilson said that Journey Home’s program provides furniture, appliances, mattresses, bedding, cookware, dishes, bathroom furnishings and other goods to approximately 350 households each year. Approximately 85% of their inventory is donated by the community, either through onsite dropoffs or home pickups.

Wilson said the program is critical for individuals and families who are transitioning from shelters or encampments into housing.

“When you’re moving from outside to an apartment, you have absolutely nothing, but you also have dignity,” Wilson said.

Unlike other operations that simply hand out items, Wilson said clients in Journey Home’s program can pick and choose exactly what they want out of the donation center.

“It’s really important because this is the next big step in their life,” Wilson said.

“The reason why we developed and created this program, and have put so many resources into it, is because we want people to stay in housing, we want them to feel like they’re home and they’re comfortable. And the best way to do that is to give them pieces of furniture that they love and enjoy and can take pride in.”

For the last nine years, Wilson and Journey Home have facilitated this mission, inspired by one client whose story laid bare a gap in support that the community could fill. In the spring of 2015, Wilson was working with a team from the Courant who followed one man’s journey from the streets to housing during a 100-day campaign to reduce chronic homelessness in Greater Hartford.

“I got to his apartment the morning after he moved in, and I realized that he had nothing. The only thing he had was a sleeping bag I gave him in his backpack,” Wilson said. “There was nothing coming either, and that’s when the light bulb went on.”

Wilson said she reached out to friends who donated items to furnish the man’s apartment. Soon, she was running a grassroots collection and storage center out of her West Hartford garage.

That fall, the operation moved to a storage unit in South Windsor before partnering with A Hand Up, a local program with a similar mission.

At the time, Wilson said A Hand Up had a warehouse and trucks — resources that Journey Home needed — but they lacked staff — something Journey Home could provide.

By 2018, Journey Home officially acquired A Hand Up in a merger. Wilson said the program moved to the New Park Avenue location soon after.

In 2020, with new grant funding, Wilson said the operation expanded and Journey Home started renting out a second warehouse at the site.

Even before discovering the mold in the second unit, Wilson described the dual-warehouse setup as less than ideal.

The warehouses are not connected, leading to a lot of walking back and forth for staff and confusion for donors and volunteers.

Wilson said she is hopeful a larger warehouse at a new location will better accommodate the program.

“We want a space that is efficient and works for us,” Wilson said. “It’s time to move.”