The Beds for Kids program assures families with children that they will receive the beds they need at the time of their scheduled delivery. Beneficiaries are children in Greater Cincinnati who live with an adult in an unfurnished dwelling and sleep on bare floors or makeshift bedding because their family cannot afford beds.
Each year since 2009, children under 19 years of age have accounted for nearly half of the people we serve. In 2020, furniture was delivered to 1,017 households consisting of 1,930 people, including 846 children (44%). That year, 1,318 beds were delivered.
Beds are needed by nearly every family we serve, but donations of used beds do not always keep pace with the number of requests for beds. When that occurs, New Life Furniture Bank must buy new beds or deny the request. When families are denied, their children continue to sleep on bare floors.
Goals:
Beds for Kids goal statement: Every child under the age of 19 living in Greater Cincinnati that is referred to us and needs a bed will receive one at the time of their scheduled furniture delivery.
The number of beds bought and distributed is tracked, as is the “fill rate,” which is the number of beds requested by families vs. the number of beds provided. With grant support, our goal is for the fill rate to be 100%.
Grant Evaluation Report:
In 2022, NLFB purchased nearly 700 bed components (mattress, box spring, and frame) to compensate for gaps in donated beds. Often the children are the most grateful for the furniture deliveries. NLFB’s lead driver, Mo, said that the kids give hugs and are the first to volunteer to help carry items inside the house.
The overall demand for services in 2022 has been tremendous, and NLFB has exceeded 10,000 homes furnished since inception in 2006.
These are some firsthand experiences from children and families impacted by a furniture delivery:
“I’m so excited to have a bed. I’ve never had a bed before.” - Ava (age 8)
“New Life Furniture Bank provided a home environment for my children. It’s now a place where they can come home from school and feel relaxed and safe.” - Danielle (single mother of 4)
From 1/1/2022 to 12/31/2022, NLFB delivered 1,866 beds with a fill rate of 112%. The impact is spread across 1,948 households, touching the lives of 4,243 people, of whom 47% (2,010) are children.
By comparison, from 1/1/2021 to 12/1/2021, NLFB delivered 1,445 beds to 1,257 households, impacting 2,472 people of whom 45% (1,104) were children. The past year (2022) was one of tremendous need in our community.
: February 2022
