HOW CAN CityHousing Hamilton create a furniture bank to address new tenant needs?
Project Description: In 2019 CityHousing Hamilton (CHH) began seeing an increase in tenants moving in under a range of circumstances such as coming from shelters, victims of abuse or homelessness. Often these tenants move in without basic household goods, such as furniture, curtains, kitchenware, etc.
CHH began organizing a furniture bank to assist new tenants in getting the household goods they need to create a new home. This project has been on hold due to staffing shortages and COVID-19.
The current space available is a large storage room in one of City Housing’s downtown buildings. The goal is to organize, track and manage the use of this space in a safe and supportive way for tenants.
Students could create a procedure for getting the furniture bank up and running (ex. donation forms/process, promotion plan, policy on what CHH can accept as donations and/or surveying tenants to better understand their needs upon move-in).
City Staff: Kate Mannen, Manager Partnership Development and Support Services, CityHousing Hamilton
Deliverables: Primary Research (i.e. conducting surveys and/or collecting data), Secondary Research (i.e. review of literature and finding information from books and online), Feasibility Study, and Business Case.
Project Start Date/ Availability: Winter 2021 (January-April)
Location: City-Wide, CHH is a City-Wide program.
City Strategy Priority: Healthy and Safe Communities