Furniture Bank, Inc.

Mission Statement Furniture Bank offers and hand up and not a hand out by providing furniture and essential home furnishings to children, families, veterans, people with disabilities, and individuals in need who are emerging from homelessness and participating in programs to gain self-sustainability in the greater Phoenix area as they transition into their own housing to help them live with dignity as they rebuild their lives.

It is our vision that every individual and family emerging from homelessness in the Phoenix area can live with dignity in homes that are properly furnished, that children have access to a safe and comfortable sleep environment and that all useable furniture will be efficiently reused, repurposed, or recycled.

Testimonials

Furniture Bank has enjoyed another successful year serving those choosing to escape homelessness and helplessness. We have now served and assisted over 1000 clients in the greater Phoenix area since we began in 2012. When you consider that each client represents a family served, we have actually helped over 5,000 people with furniture and furnishings. We love being in the HAND UP business and NOT the HANDOUT game!
2019 brought us more new partnerships with helping agencies as well as unique opportunities to offer a hand up and not a handout to folks who were in programs of improvement to achieve self-sustainability leading to stable jobs and safe homes. In addition to growing our partnerships with social services, community outreach agencies, and the faith-based communities serving the Veterans, homeless, hurting, helpless, and addicted, we also began working with several school districts to assist them with their family assistance efforts.
We have had many wonderful experiences this year quietly assisting our partners as they help their clients and families gain, sustain, and or maintain their independence. Stories like these are why we continue to have a passion to do this. This is God's program and not ours. We are merely His stewards doing His work.
A child in elementary school had a seizure in class and had to be transported to a local hospital for care. After the parents could not be reached by phone, a social worker travelled to the child's home to inform the mother of the incident and then saw first hand that the family of 5 had just an old air mattress and nothing else in the home that they had finally been able to rent as dad had become employed in a stable job. The social worker from the local school district contacted us to ask for help with this family. Furniture Bank responded within 24 hours, partnering with our delivery partner Miranda Delivery to deliver and provide living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture. New Mattresses and a crib were also delivered for mom, dad, brother, sister, and newborn infant sister. This is how Furniture Bank partners with our community to turn houses into homes and keep families together.
CPS contacted us to assist a grandmother who was taking custody of 3 grandchildren so they could be united as a family and no longer be in Foster Care. As is our preference, we never fully learn the "why" or the cause of the situation, as we choose to be part of the solution. Grandma was gaining a larger apartment and a bunkbed was needed for the 2 preteen brothers and a twin bed was needed for the younger sister. Furniture Bank was pleased to have the resources and funding to respond immediately to provide the furnished bedrooms as well as larger kitchen table and extra living room furniture that CPS requires for family unification.
We were contacted by a local agency that helps chronically homeless Veterans who are escaping the hell of homelessness and helplessness. Manny had completed a PTSD program and was due to start a stable job gained from the job training classes he had completed. Furniture Bank was honored to fill Manny's' wish list and turned his new apartment into a home he could be proud of as he started living independently after 15 plus years on the streets.
Here is the hard part for me….
WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELP TO KEEP FURNITURE BANK GOING STRONG.
Furniture Bank relies on the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit for almost 90% of its yearly funding. I know you have other charities that you help and I understand and appreciate that. Just know that when you donate to Furniture Bank financially you receive a tax receipt and you can get a dollar for dollar tax credit on your AZ State taxes - $800 per couple and $400 per individual. You can still get the same dollar for dollar tax credit when you donate to your local schools. Both are allowed.
We cannot continue to do this without your support. It costs us just under $800 to fully furnish a home with delivery and set up included. Obviously, our clients do not have these kinds of funds. We ask our clients and their sponsoring agencies to pay $250 toward this cost. We cover the other $550 through the donations we receive throughout the year...