Archdeacon Charlene Taylor has known about and supported Home Again Furniture Bank since its inception thanks to her lifelong work with the Anglican Church. As an Archdeacon and former parish priest, her time is spent serving the community, giving support to her parishioners, and guiding people in their faith journey. Through this work she has seen first-hand why Home Again is essential for those in our communities.

“Through my parish work I often see different levels of furniture poverty. People have a roof over their head but they don’t truly have a home. Without the necessary furniture to fill it, a table to sit and have a meal around, or a bed to dream in, it’s just four walls. Home Again changes that.” said Charlene.

In Charlene’s work with the Anglican Church she has focused much of her time on improving the well-being of community members and breaking the cycle of poverty. She is aware that too often people don’t associate those who are already in stable housing as being impoverished, but one glance at a nearly empty apartment or home and Charlene can attest to just how wrong those assumptions can be.

“The Anglican Church is one of the largest referral agents for Home Again, as all of our local parishes are a safe haven for those who are experiencing furniture poverty or need help. Though we see people in some of their hardest moments, we also get to see the amazing impact of receiving furniture and the transformation it has.” said Charlene.

Home Again’s furniture recipients often share just how life-changing furniture can be in not only giving them the comfort and dignity they deserve, but also the impact it has on their physical, mental and emotional health.

“When I was living without furniture I wasn’t passionate about anything anymore, I looked around and said ‘This is the state I am going to be in forever.’ Now I am out working, I am volunteering, I exercise much more, I have animals.” said one furniture recipient.

Since Charlene experienced first-hand how Home Again was supporting our neighbours in need, it was a very simple decision for her to be a part of the Heads Without Beds fundraiser. So simple in fact she also participated in the original ‘Clergy on the Floor’ fundraiser, which was the catalyst for the expansion into the community edition of Heads Without Beds.

“I have fond memories of ‘Clergy on the Floor’ , the feeling of community as the local Anglican Clergy joined together to support one another and the mission of Home Again. We laughed, had fellowship and ended up raising over $5,000 for those who were living without furniture.” said Charlene.

Now Charlene continues to support Home Again by joining Heads Without Beds each year with her colleagues. This year, all of them slept at their office following the fun event night.

“We’re excited to gather as a whole team and support Heads Without Beds again. Even though we are giving up our bed for the night, we’ll make the most of it and have a great time. We even plan on making breakfast together in the morning.” said Charlene.

For Charlene, the opportunity to impact hundreds of lives by fundraising and simply sleeping without her bed for one night is something she is happy to do.

“Each year we have such wonderful supporters. We never set a team goal because we just hope for people to have generous hearts and to give what they can to support their neighbours. We’ve been successful in raising funds in the past and hope to continue that this year and beyond.” said Charlene.

The Anglican East NL team was in fact very successful at raising funds this year, with over $4,000 being raised and donated back to Home Again they were the top team fundraiser!

Though this fundraiser for Home Again Furniture Bank has now closed, they still need your support in order to continue delivering free furniture to those who need it most. Visit: homeagainfb.ca to see how you can get involved or become a sustaining monthly supporter by joining their community of Dreamers.

The post Home Again Furniture Bank: Spotlight on Archdeacon Charlene Taylor appeared first on Anglican Life.

Ashley was a new mom when her partner suddenly passed away and she was forced to leave her home–ending up in the shelter system unable to care for her only son. 

“When my partner passed, I turned to things I probably shouldn’t have, I placed my son with his dad and ended up in the waterford.”   

When she was finally able to receive assistance in finding housing she discovered that all her belongings at a storage facility had been sold off and she was left with nothing to start over again. 

Before Home Again, Ashley’s apartment was a patchwork of scarce items that she had managed to find or been given by kind neighbours. But she still didn’t have a bed or any other furniture for her son, which meant custody wasn’t possible. With the help of Home Again and donated furniture, Ashley was finally able to welcome her son back and give him the home he deserved.

“It means a lot to me to wake up in the morning and make him breakfast and eat at a table together,” said Ashley.

Sadly, we hear these stories too often from parents who aren’t able to have custody while they wait for furniture. And often enough, these parents are also sleeping on a makeshift bed themselves. Our volunteers have seen yoga mats, sleeping bags, folded cardboard boxes, even a wooden pallet with a piece of foam rolled on top, being used as beds by people in our region. 

This is why our annual Heads Without Beds fundraiser is so monumental in changing not only homes but also the lives of hundreds of families and individuals every year. Over the past year, Home Again has seen a 24% increase in requests for furniture. With over 100 households on the waitlist, currently the organization is facing demand beyond comparison. 

During the month of March, Home Again invites community members to join together and fight furniture poverty in our region through the Heads Without Beds fundraiser. You can support your neighbours by creating a team with your family, colleagues or church group, joining as an individual, or even sponsoring a participant who will sleep without their bed for one night. 

“I know the importance of Home Again’s work in the region because my family was helped. I participate in Heads Without Beds, along with my son, because it’s an important lesson about not taking our comforts for granted and giving back where we can.” – Karly MacLeod, volunteer and community participant

Every day, Home Again Furniture Bank receives new requests for items as basic as a bed to sleep in and a table to share a meal around. And every week, our volunteers deliver life-changing furniture to people throughout the Northeast Avalon region. Your support will ensure more people like Ashley and her son will receive a bed to sleep in and the possibility of a better life. 

The generosity of the members of the Anglican Foundation of Canada will be a tremendous help to those waiting for a bed. To learn more about how you can make a life-changing impact on the lives of our neighbours visit our website www.headswithoutbeds.ca or chat to our team member, Maureen. 

Maureen Lymburner, Director of Development

(709) 325-0072
maureenlymburner@homeagainfb.com

The post Helping to Lift Neighbours Off The Floor & Into Beds appeared first on Anglican Life.