“There’s nothing like a couch to come home to.”
This statement from Mrs. Knight, a photographer volunteering at the nonprofit Homes Not Borders, encompasses a profound truth: Everyone deserves to have the basic accessories necessary for a comfortable and happy life. Homes Not Borders works to accomplish this goal by furnishing homes for refugee families and asylum-seekers in the D.C. area. Community Forklift helps support the nonprofit in its work by providing free sofas and other home goods through our Community Building Blocks program.
“If you work all day, you collapse into it, a bit tired. If you’re a serious student, you spend hours reading and studying. If you’re sick, you sneeze and snooze, and if you’re content, you luxuriate in its cushions. But if you’re seeking asylum in the United States, a sofa in your new apartment is so much more,” Mrs. Knight says. “It’s the release of fatigue, the end of a journey, and a big exhale. After months on the road or in refugee camps, the gift of a sofa can be overwhelming. Time after time, our refugees tell us so. Person-to-person or in storytelling sessions, they describe receiving a house key, unlocking their door, fearing the unknown and becoming speechless at the sight of a fully furnished apartment.”
Homes Not Borders helps between 10 and 12 families per week. One of the newcomers that Homes Not Borders assisted was Jalal, who made an arduous journey from Afghanistan to the U.S. to make a better home for his wife and young boys. “Your support and hard work have played a pivotal role in helping give us energy and feeling comfortable during this complicated time.” Jalal said. “Your support has not only helped us for providing such beautiful home stuff but also taught me that we are living in a humanitarian and moral society.”
Since 2022, Community Forklift has supported Homes Not Borders by providing essential furniture like tables, chairs, and sofas to help furnish apartments for newly arrived refugees.
“We so appreciate the ongoing support from Community Forklift,” Laura Thompson Osuri, the Executive Director of Homes Not Borders, says. “They are always there to supply Homes Not Borders with furniture for our new neighbors, helping us to turn houses into homes.”
We are honored to collaborate with Homes Not Borders and support their important work through our Community Building Blocks program, which provides free materials to other nonprofits and community groups. Homes Not Borders is always in need of volunteers. If you are interested in helping this amazing organization, please visit their website to learn more.
“It’s the release of fatigue, the end of a journey, and a big exhale. After months on the road or in refugee camps, the gift of a sofa can be overwhelming. Time after time, our refugees tell us so.”
Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse. We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.
