BAY AREA FURNITURE BANK

WE FURNISH FUTURES.....
Many of our clients have recently overcome living on the street, fled from an abusive situation, arrived as a refugee needing assistance, aged-out of a foster child program, or are overcoming a difficult circumstance in life. We are proud to be able to say that we are serving many veterans as well. Many of our clients live below the poverty level, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to purchase basic items for their homes. It is our goal to help ease their burden and personal suffering by providing most of their furniture needs that make a basic living space a home. As a furniture bank, we collect gently used furniture, inspect and clean it, and then ensure that the items are delivered directly to the locations of families in need.
Our goal is to help rebuild the lives of families who have suffered personal tragedy or disaster by increasing the crises awareness and donations of furnishings, funds, and volunteers to make the Bay Area a place where no one will ever again have to live, sleep, or eat on the floor.

We Support the Homeless
In the Bay Area, there are over 19,000 homeless people. In Santa Clara County, there are 6,500 homeless people. In San Jose, there 4,100 homeless people (4th largest population of homeless people compared to 48 other major cities). In Mountain View alone, there are approximately 300 homeless people.

We Support Veterans
There are currently 703 homeless veterans in Santa Clara County, 683 are single and 20 are living in families. Females comprise 13% of single homeless veterans and 65% of homeless veterans in families. 23% are experiencing homelessness for the first time. The City of San Jose will be committing up to $6 million for new housing opportunities that could serve more than 100 veterans. The City of Mountain View has approved a 67-affordable pricing unit project of which 30 units will be set aside for veterans. Our goal is to provide all of the furniture needed for the 130 veterans moving into these projects as well as any other veteran who needs furnishings.

We Support Victims of Domestic Violence
In Santa Clara County, during FY14 and FY15, there were over 6200 adults and children who were victims of domestic violence. 21% of the victims moved into a rented space following the incident. In Santa Clara County, there were 5,052 domestic violence calls to the police.

We Support Refugees
In FY15, approximately 200 refugees fleeing war, religious persecution, natural disasters and human rights abuse resettled in Santa Clara County in search of work and a place to call home. With a helping hand, refugees in the county are able to establish a solid foundation to launch their new life.

We Support Low-Income Families
In Silicon Valley, the population is approximately 3 million. With the average family size being 2.7, there are roughly 1 million families. The latest Census Bureau report states that 17% of these families are making less than $35,000 per year. Thus there are 170,000 families in Silicon Valley, who are classified as Very Low Income, and making less than $35,000/Year.

We Support Victims of Personal Tragedy
There are daily victims of job loss, divorce, fire, or health issues that we are eager to assist. When a fire occurs in Sunnyvale or San Jose, as happened within the last year, and there are multiple families who have lost all of their possessions that they are not able financially to replace, the Bay Area Furniture Bank wants to be able to immediately assist them.