Furniture is heavy, difficult to transport and requires warehousing. The need is so great for individuals in our community that IOA gladly continues to grapple with the logistics.
IOA works discreetly with social service agencies, helping families who have been displaced set up new homes. When a house fire or similar disaster strikes a family, IOA is able to respond immediately, filling in the gaps with beds, sofas, dressers, kitchen tables, and chairs . Sometimes job losses or medical crises force people to abandon most of their belongings, relocate and start over again from scratch.
In each case, IOA responds with a home visit. Though the purpose is to assess a client’s furniture needs, program specialists often discover and resolve other issues in the process.
For example before furniture can be picked up by the client, basic household utilities must be turned on. However, initiating service requires both a deposit and verification from the homeowner.
“My Interfaith advocate called downtown and got my water connected,” explains Stacy. “Then, she drove all the way over here and let me use her cell phone to verify that I would be here the next day.”
Stacy and her two children were “sitting on buckets” when they heard about the program. “These are goodhearted, loving people,” she says. “They were definitely a blessing to me and I’m sure all the other people they help feel the same way.”