The Provincial Government is contributing approximately $85,000 to Home Again Furniture Bank’s Again and Again social enterprise. The support is aligned with the Provincial Government’s effort to support inclusion and emotional well-being by ensuring individuals have access to furniture they need in a home, which can help transform the lives of individuals and families alike.
Formed in 2015, Home Again Furniture Bank is a not-for-profit organization which collects donations of gently-used furniture to redistribute to people in need. Since its inception, Home Again has partnered with over 35 frontline agencies in the St. John’s region to provide more than 2,400 households with beds, sofas, tables, chairs and other basic furnishings.
In 2022, Home Again launched a new social enterprise pilot project called Again and Again. The project repairs, upcycles and sells donated furniture not deemed suitable for distribution. Participants in the project are often people who have experienced social and employment challenges due to experiences of marginalization, trauma, mental illness, and/or substance use, and receive training to repair and restore furniture for re-sale. Revenue generated helps sustain Home Again as well as provide social integration, skills training, volunteer and employment opportunities for the community.
Support for the initiative is provided under Our Path of Resilience: An Action Plan to Promote Life and Prevent Suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador. The plan calls for socially-equitable services that “foster connection to self, family, nature, culture and community, and promote the uptake of creative art, music and recreation-based wellness activities and therapies.”
Quotes
“Our government is pleased to support this worthwhile social enterprise. The Again and Again project not only increases the capacity of Home Again to provide furniture that is much needed, but also provides opportunities for access to holistic mental health services and crucial social connection to foster a sense of belonging, purpose and identity which are critical for overall health and mental well-being.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“This support enables Home Again to pilot Again and Again, our new social enterprise thrift store. The pilot aims to generate revenue to help sustain Home Again, while also providing employment, volunteer and social integration opportunities to our partners at Choices for Youth and The Wellness Group. It will help build the capacity and resilience of Home Again, our partners and their clients.”
Maureen Lymburner
Director of Development for Home Again Furniture Bank
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