Local nonprofit helps make a house a home

In 2018, an elderly woman who was experiencing homelessness joined the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Boulder. Over time, she found a permanent home. When she opened the door for the first time all she had was a bag full of belongings and an empty apartment. 

Members of her church caught wind that she had nothing to furnish her apartment with and began gathering items such as a sofa, a mattress and kitchen items. The generous donors helped turn an empty apartment into a home.

Volunteers continued the work for others in the community until the pandemic hit, said Mary Gaylord, executive director of HomeAhead. The COVID-19 pandemic forced some of the work to become dormant as restrictions were set in place. 

As the restrictions were lifted, a small group of people decided it was time to revitalize the work as the need to help furnish homes grew. In late 2021, the group formed the nonprofit HomeAhead.

HomeAhead is a Boulder County nonprofit that collects and distributes essential furniture and household items to individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness into permanent housing. 

Each year the organization furnishes 200-300 households in Boulder County — an average of 100 of which are in Longmont — with essential furniture such as mattresses, sofas, kitchen items and a few tables, Gaylord said.

The clients that HomeAhead helps are those who are coming from homelessness or have nothing to begin with, Gaylord said. The nonprofit partners with other local organizations such as The Inn Between, Safe Shelter of St. Vrain and others to identify those who need the furnishings the most.

The nonprofit was gifted a box truck to help pick up and drop off donations that it stores in a 900-square-foot space in Boulder. It is looking for additional space in Longmont or Gunbarrel to house more wares to help more people, Gaylord said. 

HomeAhead accepts gently used, clean and new items such as small sofas, chairs, accent tables, small dressers, beds, bed frames and mattresses. It also accepts some donations of dishes, kitchen utensils and towels, bath towel and mats, pillows and other linens. 

While the nonprofit can pick up some items, it asks that as much get delivered as possible in order to keep their only truck free to deliver the essential furniture to those in need.