Chuck was raised in a loving middle-class family, excelling academically and athletically in school. On his first day at college, his mother died unexpectedly. During this time, Chuck began having symptoms of bipolar disorder, which unfortunately, went undiagnosed and untreated. Ultimately, Chuck lost the job he loved. Unable to find another job and his savings depleted, Chuck lost his home and ended up sleeping on the streets.

After months of moving from shelter to shelter, he was accepted by Heading Home, an agency able to give him the therapeutic support he needed. This is where, as Chuck tells it, “I was able to start my recovery back to normalcy.” He soon had a job and the keys to a one-bedroom apartment.

Heading Home made an appointment  for Chuck at Household Goods, and his caseworker accompanied him. Chuck’s apartment is now his real home, and he says he intends to do exactly what is needed so that he stays in his home for the long term.

As Chuck talks about his experience, he says, “I can assure you that getting free furniture is no small thing to someone who has been homeless. After 18 months of living in shelters, I was overjoyed to be moving out, but also terrified, because I had so much to worry about to make sure I could actually make it work. Thanks to Household Goods, I didn’t need to worry about whether I would have to sleep on the floor. So, this small thing is actually huge, and makes a big difference in people’s lives.”

As he reflected on his experience at Household Goods, Chuck said, “They say that if you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day, but if you teach him to fish, he can eat for a lifetime. That’s true,” he added, “but only if you give him a fishing pole. The way I see it, Household Goods is giving out fishing poles.”