Holy Family University Donates Campus Furniture to Assist Families Moving Out of Homelessness
The Philadelphia Furniture Truck pulled into the loading area at Holy Family University in mid-August, and construction project coordinator Michael Putnam orchestrated the donation of 55 tables and 100 dining chairs from the Campus Center, as well as an additional 24 recliners and miscellaneous bedroom furnishings from Delaney Hall.
Recent construction on Holy Family’s Northeast Philadelphia campus – including a renovated Campus Center and Dining Commons, and the full conversion of Delaney Hall, formerly the residence of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, into a student residence hall and a spirituality and wellness center – created a surplus of usable items. These donations will prove useful to Philadelphia families who are emerging from homelessness and moving into permanent housing.
“In consideration of Holy Family’s guiding mission of teneor votis (I am bound by my responsibility), it was important to our campus community that this surplus not be irresponsibly discarded or dumped in a landfill, but rather become a staple for those who have experienced homelessness,” President Anne Prisco said. “It is gratifying to know this furniture will make an impact for families in nearby neighborhoods, enabling them to gather around a table for meals and conversation, or to relax in a recliner, like our students once had.”
Holy Family University proudly made a second donation of filing cabinets, sofas, chairs, coffee tables, desk lamps, artwork, books, bookcases, and miscellaneous small wares to Habitat for Humanity.
Pathways to Housing PA aims to end chronic homelessness through its Housing First model, providing homes without preconditions and then addressing underlying issues around mental health, substance use, medical care, and education to welcome people back into the community.
The Philadelphia Furniture Bank, a program operated by Pathways to Housing PA, opened as a centralized resource for furniture for human service organizations across Philadelphia. Member agencies schedule appointments for clients who then choose their furniture to start fresh as they move out of homelessness. Each individual or family receives a full home’s worth of furniture, including brand new bedding. The Furniture Bank has furnished more than 8,000 homes since 2014.