The Mustard Seed of Central Indiana

Houses have roofs and walls—homes have furniture.

For many individuals and families transitioning from displacement, the cost of furnishing even a small apartment can be overwhelming.

We work with Central Indiana social service agencies, nonprofits, and community-minded businesses to help those who have survived disasters, tragedies, and hardship establish a home—by providing gently used and new furniture donated by members of our community.

The people we serve are rebuilding after disaster, an unhoused status, domestic violence, mental or physical health crises, unemployment, addiction, incarceration, refugees, and above all—poverty.

Imagine a veteran managing PTSD, a young mother creating a safe space for her kids, or someone in recovery ready to start fresh. They’ve completed classes, counseling, and job training. They’re ready to move in—but there's no bed to sleep in, no table to eat at, and no couch to rest on. The cost of furniture becomes the final barrier. Some, out of desperation, make impossible choices—using rent money for a mattress or sofa—leading to eviction, unemployment, and even incarceration.

In 2025, we served about 3 families a day (that can mean one individual or a family with 10-11 members, 5 days a week, and picked up from 3-6 donations a day thus keeping items out of the landfill and giving them a grateful home!  We are not only rehoming furniture, we are helping save tax payer dollars by keeping landfills less full!  In 2024, we helped 232 adults and 252 children across 208 households avoid that outcome.

With your support, we can do even more in 2025-2026. Our referral partners—and new organizations building permanent and transitional housing across Marion County—need our help now more than ever. Their residents need a place to sit, sleep, eat, and store their belongings.

Our Why?

Having Furniture Prevents Return to Homelessness (“Housing Retention”)

When individuals or families move from shelters or transitional housing into permanent housing, they often enter completely empty apartments. Without basic furniture — a bed, table, chairs, kitchenware — many struggle to stay, leading to:

• Sleeping on floors (which harms health and dignity)

• Difficulty cooking or maintaining the home

• Emotional discouragement that leads to giving up housing

➡️ Studies show that fully furnishing a new home increases housing stability by up to 80% over the first year.

Let’s turn more empty spaces into healthy, SAFE, and cozy homes. Did you know that a "homeless" status can decrease by 50% if one has items to make their house a home?