"It's a snowball effect of positivity," Tia said over lunch. She and her team of six are the faces of Humble Design in Seattle, an organization that is notably reducing homeless recidivism through interior design.
The founder, Treger Strasberg was friends with a woman who was employed and appeared well put-together, but learned she and her family were about to be homeless. Once helping her secure housing, she solicited donations to fill their empty house. After finishing the project furniture donations kept showing up, thus Humble Design was born.
Operating in four cities, Humble fills a niche in the complex web of solving homelessness. They aren’t case workers or lobbyists; they’re filling a gap that’s integral to people’s healing and sense of self worth. They secure a warehouse in each city and accept donations of everything from sofas to skateboards. In Seattle they are completing one home per week, working with local shelters who are placing families into housing and providing other essential services.
Humble's philosophy is that these families deserve everything you or I would want in our home.
I spent a week shadowing their team and learning what it takes to design for those who are forced to pick up and leave with a few trash bags worth of belongings. The family we were helping had their mailbox vandalized and didn't receive the check they needed to pay rent. Instead the mom, grandma, daughter and two young boys were evicted and had been in a shelter for 8 months. When they were placed in affordable housing they were sleeping on the apartment floor, until a neighbor took pity and lent them a couple sofas and mattresses. While getting housing is the foundation, it's also just the beginning of rebuilding lives.
Watching the designers hustle around the warehouse tagging an assortment of bedding, cookware, and artwork was exhilarating, but even more was seeing them bring to life the desires of people who are used to being ignored. During the home installation volunteers were able to take ownership of the spaces they were setting up, and often get to see their own donations put to use. It's also incredibly environmentally friendly, as it relies solely on re-purposing existing belongings. At the end of the day, it’s about filling a home with love and giving people the sense that they are deserving. And so far, it’s proving to significantly increase the likelihood a family will retain their housing after transitioning from a shelter.
Want to help?
Donate your home goods and furniture, volunteer for a Deco day, or donate!
They're aiming to get enough funding to do 3 homes a week.