Moncton “Buy Nothing” group providing apartment furnishings for those exiting homelessness – New Brunswick | 24CA News

A “Buy Nothing” Facebook group based mostly in Moncton’s North End is filling an important hole offering objects like furnishings, silverware and even selfmade quilts to homeless people shifting into housing.

“Buy Nothing” Facebook teams are a community throughout North America the place customers can supply or ask for objects free of charge.

Kerri Flemming, who manages two inexpensive housing packages via her work with the John Howard Society, mentioned she initially joined the group out of a private curiosity in refinishing furnishings.

When she began her work with the John Howard Association, she began asking for assist in the group for individuals shifting into each transitional and everlasting housing.

“When I first started working with this organization we were moving 20 individuals from homelessness into apartments,” Flemming mentioned, referring to the condominium models within the Community Hub on Joyce, a housing challenge for single males exiting homelessness.

“And so that meant that we had to collect furniture and dishes and household items,” she mentioned.

She mentioned the assist she has obtained from members of the group has been “mindblowing”.

“We were helping out with the emergency shelter last winter so they had no blankets, they had no pillows, no items for comfort at all. I posted on the Buy Nothing group and within 24 hours I had 300 blankets on my doorstop ready to bring to the shelter,” Flemming mentioned.

She mentioned her group solely receives sufficient funding to offer the “basic necessities” for these shifting into their housing initiatives.

She mentioned the group gives objects that aren’t obligatory for survival, however could make an condominium really feel like a house.

“We don’t have funding for televisions, that’s not a basic need, but someone who’s coming from a busy, noisy, shelter to a quiet apartment, that’s a barrier to loneliness,” Flemming defined.

“So I posted on the group that I have an individual moving in from shelter, does anyone have a TV and within three minutes someone donated a television for this young man.”

At a time when Moncton’s rising homeless inhabitants has created plenty of divide and stigma, Flemming mentioned these receiving the objects really feel appreciated by the neighborhood.

“It makes them feel like they belong to the community that they live in,” she mentioned.

“We had individuals (from the Facebook group) who donated homemade quilts and wanted to deliver them in person and build those relationships which is amazing.” she mentioned.

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