Westbrook nonprofit helps furnish units for people coming out of homelessness

Furniture Friends collaborated with the city of Portland Homeless Services Center to furnish 13 units for neighbors starting over after being chronically unhoused. 

Furniture Friends is a nonprofit in Westbrook that reduces homelessness and improves housing stability by collecting donated furniture and distributing it to low-income individuals and families in southern Maine. 

Since 2012, it’s helped over 13,000 people create homes and rebuild their lives. 

A team from the city of Portland joined Furniture Friends at its Westbrook warehouse in October. Together they loaded 78 pieces of furniture into a truck to furnish apartments at Winter Landing at 91 Winter St. in Portland.

The $20.2 million Winter Landing project was developed by Community Housing of Maine at the site of the former Mercy Hospital campus, to provide 52 units of affordable housing 

“Our partnership [with Furniture Friends] has only grown stronger over the years to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate,” said Joshua Ruitto, director of housing and community services for the city of Portland. “As a result of this collaboration, when an individual moves into housing after experiencing homelessness, furniture is one of the first items they see in their unit. This brings a strong sense of belonging and embraces the true feeling of being home.”

Furniture Friends partners with over 200 social service providers in Maine, including the city of Portland, to identify people in need of support in furnishing their homes. It serves over 800 households — with roughly 2,000 individuals, including 800 children — on an annual basis.