20 year old Renee* arrived at Furniture Bank with a big smile on her face and a ukulele case strapped to her back. She was smiling because she knew that today was going to be a special day. It was the day she would finally receive the furniture she needed to properly furnish her new place with and set up a comfortable home to record her music in. Renee’s first stable home she’s had in 2 years.

Renee left her mother’s home at age 18 with nothing more than a futon and her clothes. Before coming to Furniture Bank, Renee lacked the stability of a true home spending the last 2 years of her life living in transition – crashing on friends couches and eventually checking herself into a youth shelter.

This all changed when she hooked up with Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, a partner agency of ours who helped her find a basement apartment to live in. It was at this point that Furniture Bank came into Renee’s life.

When Renee came to Furniture Bank she worked with a volunteer to choose the furniture and housewares she needed to feel secure in her new apartment. She chose a computer desk and chair to record her music at, an armoire to store her clothes and things in, kitchenwares to prepare her meals and art pieces to hang on the walls – the base ingredients to live with the dignity of a furnished home and pursue her dream of becoming a performing artist.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients