I just found out how poor I am - or Habitat for Humanity can go pound Nails.

7/29/2002 | angry freeper self

[ODDITHER]

We had saved our money for quite awhile to buy new living room furniture. I decided instead selling the old set, I would give it to charity and I called Habitat for Humanity to scheduled date. The person on the phone assured me that they take used furniture.

My old set still looks pretty good, but was hard to arrange in our living room. There wasn't anything wrong with the old set, Other than a few nubbies on the edge of the couch where our now deceased cat liked to sharpen her claws. It could have easily been fixed by using a fabric razor on the areas because the fabric was still in good shape. It is quite comfortable to sit in and I had just had it shampooed professionally in November.

On the day of the pickup, I got a call from the driver for HH. He quized me about the furniture. Are there any holes? Is there animal hair on it? How old is it? etc etc etc. I assured him that the material was not worn and the springs were still very good.

When he arrived, he came into the house looked at the furniture and said they didn't want it. It wasn't good enough for them.They only take furniture in pristine condition.

I was shocked an amazed. I said I wouldn't be getting new furniture if this furniture was in pristine condition.

I kept quizing him- "you mean to tell me that there is no one in our town that is poor and needs furniture?"

He said that they weren't in the business of selling furniture to poor people. Our custoemrs are quite picky when it comes to furniture, he proudly proclaimed.

I said - How about the people that you are building homes for? Don't they need furniture?

Oh, they get brand new furniture before they move in he assured me. With a brand new home, we want them to have new furniture.

I said - well, I didn't realize how poor I am, because I debated long and hard before buying new furniture, about keeping the old because it was still in good condition.

At any rate after that little encounter, I have crossed off HH as needing my help. They are way out of my league. Another 501-C3 bites the dust.

[battlecry]

There is an outfit in Maryland called Christmas in May or something like that. Guys and gals get together and fix up old homes for poor people. Three years ago they redid a house down the street in Bethesda, MD. Including garden, white picket fence, etc... Come think of it, it is somewhat risky to go to poor neighborhoods...

[joy361]

My mother-in-law (who I have never say a bad word about anyone) volunteered to work with HH one weekend.
By the time she finished the first day, she quit. The "homeowners" sat in lawn chairs watching, while everyone else worked.
She said they didn't deserve to be helped.

I can't imagine this is standard practice, but you never know.

[perez24]

I had a similar experience with a rescue mission that wouldn't take our furniture.

The driver said that they get a lot of crappy furniture that they can't do anything with other than dump it at the landfill so they're kind of picky. Of course, being the bitter, vindictive person that I am, I decided they didn't need my crappy money in the future either.

Then, the guys who brought the new stuff hauled everything off for a $50 gratuity, which included the dump fee. Just a thought when the new furniture arrives.

[southland]

Salvation Army in a place in Alabama takes clothing and puts it in the dumpster for trash people to pick up. I have seen some clothing with new tags on it winds up in the dumpster.
cdcook@scottsboro.org

[plinker's2sense]

Christmas in April :^)

[borkrules]

You would probably get pretty pissed off if I told you how many HH recipients end up in default on their low or no interest mortgages. Numbers vary around the country, but its well over 50%. No interest mortgage. Still in default.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Here in Texas, both Goodwill and the Salvation Army will take donations of used furniture. If they operate in your area, you might check with them.

[IncPen]

My brother tells me that HH houses frequently don't pass local codes, but that the inspectors are heckled into passing them anyway... lest they be accused of standing in the way of 'progress'.

[Freedom4US]

It is sad, because we had a lot of Salvation Army donation points around town, but in the last few years people started using them for garbage. So, they removed them all as it was causing a net loss for SA.

[billbears]

Take it down to Goodwill. They take quite a bit from clothes to furniture to old PCs. Took an old 486 computer down there I couldn't use anymore and they were glad to have it. Said they can refurbish it and sell it in the stores for donations or will give it to those that might not have a computer. I've taken furniture down there before as well.

[TC Rider]

We had a similar experience in Raleigh a few years back.

We redid our kitchen and replaced a Jenn-Aire range top and a dishwasher. Both were about 10 years old but in pristine condition.

Called H4H and they said they only wanted new appliances that were a few years old.

[Catspaw]

Our St. Vincent de Paul takes used furniture, as well as the Salvation Army & Goodwill.

[MoralSense]

Don't know if you remember this, but at the time of that big Promise Keepers rally in D.C., a bunch of the guys in PK started calling around offering to fix up schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, park buildings, anything that needed it. And, of course, among a million PKs, there were lots of good carpentars, plumbers, etc. They couldn't get it done. There were always some bureaucratic nitpickers in the way.

[Mark17]

lest they be accused of standing in the way of 'progress'.

Are they ever accused of being....oh never mind, I don't want to be un PC.

[KSCITYBOY]

I had a buddy who volunteered to do some repair work on inner-city homes thru a Christmas in July program. He said he went out with several other people and cleaned up the poor persons home and repaired some windows etc... all the while the man of the house and his two grown sons watched sports on TV and drank beer. What a deal!

[ClearCase_guy]

You would probably get pretty pissed off if I told you how many HH recipients end up in default on their low or no interest mortgages. Numbers vary around the country, but its well over 50%. No interest mortgage. Still in default.

I have heard this before, and I believe that it is true. Do you happen to know what happens to the house? Is it given to another poor family? Is there any possibility that it is sold at a profit by the bank? That would be very interesting.

[Guillermo]

In many neighborhoods in South Dade, the only houses left standing were Habitat houses after Hurricane Andrew passed through.

And I SERIOUSLY doubt that ANY housing inspector, ever, in the history of housing inspections, was EVER "heckled" into passing a house. Now, an inspector bribed to pass a house, yes, as this was the case with Arvida and Dade County inspectors in 1991.

[Deguello]

Just put the couch on the front porch. I makes a good bed for your dog.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I believe Goodwill is the place for your stuff. Not all charities for the poor are in the business of giving away stuff. We have a thrift store locally called LISTEN that accepts donations of used goods that can be resold to poor people, but folks continue to drop off merchandise unfit to resell.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor -- sweat equity -- into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.