A Sheffield-based project has helped nearly 3,000 people with essential furniture in one year alone

Based on Queens Road, the project collects furniture and household donations from across the city where they then redistribute these to those in need. Items can range from anything to a table, chairs, mattresses, beds, and even furnishing entire homes.

Since the start of the Cost-of-Living Crisis, the furniture project has seen a dramatic increase in people turning to them for help, alongside agencies referring people too. Back in 2021, the project helped equip nearly 1,800 with basic furniture and this figure has increased significantly since then with nearly a staggering 3,000 turning for help.

Centre Manager at the Sheffield Furniture Project, Tracy Haycox, said:

“The work we do here is changing lives, yet we’re only giving families and people in need the basic furniture that should make every house a home.

“Not only do we serve people in need, but we’re saving many household items from going to landfill and recycling what we can to give as many items as possible a second home.

“Things have only been made worse since the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we have the Cost of Living Crisis which is causing even more marginal divides in society meaning people are forced to choose between heating or eating, they can’t even begin to think about furniture. We’re just giving them something which they should be able to afford but simply can’t.”

SVP Sheffield Furniture is part of the St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales) which is a thriving Christian voluntary movement which is dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms by providing practical assistance to those in need. 2024 marks the 180th year of the SVP helping people across England and Wales.

For more information about the SVP Sheffield Furniture, please visit their website on: https://svp.org.uk/sheffield-furniture-store