Local Nonprofit Turns Houses Into Homes

It’s one thing to have a place to live, but Focus on Home is about taking that place to live and turning it into a home.

“There’s assistance for housing, there’s assistance utilities, there’s food pantries, there’s clothing assistance,” said Joli Sanders, founder of Focus on Home.

With all the available resources, there was nothing to help provide the necessary resources, like furniture, for someone with nothing.

“Everything that I am doing is to pay my rent, to keep my car going, to pay insurance, I mean all the things that life costs,” said Sanders.  

A situation she knows firsthand.

“I was a single mother, I had a nine-month-old baby, we had no car, she was on the back of my bike,” said Sanders.

She was living in a small apartment, with furniture from off the street.

“I knew I needed other things to make us feel at home,” said Sanders.

In 2014 she started the nonprofit, Focus on Home, to help those experiencing domestic violence, homelessness or coming out of recovery programs.

“I’ve been in and out of treatment programs. I can't even tell you how many times,” said Lacee Estes, who received help from the nonprofit.

Estes, a single mother to three kids, has experienced homelessness, and recalls a time she lost her kids. But now out of recovery and in her new apartment she needed the things to make it a home.

“To have an organization that comes in and literally puts everything up, stages it, it looked like a magazine,” said Estes.

Workers meet with the families to find out about the kids and discuss their taste in décor, before coming in and completely decorating the home.

Recipients are referrals from agencies like, Hope House, Palomar, YWCA, Positive Tomorrows, ReMerge, Homeless Alliance, Catholic Charities and Northcare.

There is no cost for the services, everything provided is donated by people in the community and stored in their warehouse.

In addition to the big furniture items, things like bedding, towels and dishes are also extremely helpful.

“We had one family that when we were working with them, they had three dishes, there were six people in the family,” said Sanders.

The act of service is done by volunteers.

“We love volunteers, you can do it once, but I will say that no one does it just once, it’s addictive,” said Sanders.

Truly an opportunity to make a difference.

“We bring everything to make an empty space an actual home for someone,” said Sanders.

“I got to walk through that door, and I got to see what I wanted, and I cried,” said Estes.

For more information about Focus on Home or to volunteer or donate items, visit their website www.focusonhome.org