Niki allows families to choose their own furniture, and her organization is among the few places providing delivery services.
“Our process is not just about giving furniture,” she says, “it’s about restoring dignity and allowing families to create their own homes. Even a dining room table can strengthen the family unit, enhance social skills, and improve academic abilities in children. Research indicates that children who eat together with their families perform better in school and have higher graduation rates.”
One resident, Adriane Herbert, who received a dresser from FurnishHopeDC, left not only with furniture for her family of five but also with a vision to establish her own non-profit, Village Hope DC.
“I left FurnishHopeDC inspired by their generosity and motivated to do more,” said Adriane, “not only for my family but to be a catalyst for providing support to families like my own.”
Adriane, who is also a 2024 mini grant recipient, partners with Niki, offering not just furniture through her non-profit, but also empowering classes, such as seminars on maintaining a clean house to prevent eviction and interventions by child protective services due to unhygienic living conditions. They provide parenting and budgeting classes, and even organize educational field trips for the children to local museums. Many of these children have never even been to downtown DC.
Remarkably, around 30 percent of those who receive services from both FurnishHopeDC and Village of Hope return as volunteers. Adriane says helping those she serves achieve independence is her number one priority: “I’m on a mission to help these families become self-sustainable.”
Niki looks forward to broadening her vision for FurnishHopeDC through participation in Woodson Center’s online free training programs in nonprofit leadership and organizational development. She believes that this training is vital for her organization’s future success.