The Philadelphia Furniture Bank has moved!
The Philadelphia Furniture Bank provided furniture to more than 800 households in Philadelphia in 2018. Run by Pathways to Housing PA, the Furniture Bank partners with 46 member agencies that support people moving out of homelessness, victims of domestic violence, young adults exiting foster care, refugee families, victims of personal or natural catastrophes, and others who have struggled with housing instability.
Founded almost five years ago, the Furniture Bank recently moved to a new location at 3650 I Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134. The new space is just a few blocks away from our original home on J Street, and will provide additional square footage so that we can serve even more households moving forward. The number of homes furnished nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018, and we anticipate that the need will continue to grow.
According to the 2018 Point in Time Count in Philadelphia, there were 1,083 individuals living unsheltered in Philadelphia; an additional 4,705 individuals were living in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven. These individuals and families will require furniture once a permanent home is secured – and often, their move into their new home will be delayed until they have furniture. That’s where the Philadelphia Furniture Bank steps in.
The city's poverty rate is one of the highest in the nation and nearly half of that 26% are living in deep poverty, with incomes below 50% of the federal poverty limit. Though more than 2,500 households have been furnished since the Furniture Bank was opened in late 2014, there is clearly more to be done to ensure that every family in the city has furniture to turn their house into a home.
We look forward to using our new space to continue to serve those most in need in our community. We’ll host a grand reopening once we’re fully settled into our new space, and we’re available to schedule tours this summer to anyone interested in learning more about our work.
Please direct any questions about the move to furniture@pathwaystohousingpa.org or 215-291-9830.
