For the last 10 years, the homeless population has steadily declined in the Atlanta area.
While this is great news for the city of Atlanta, many of the less fortunate families have a tough time buying basic home furniture like a couch, mattress or dining table. Although some of the homeless have found places to live, many are still looking for a comfy place to rest their head and make it a home. This is how your furniture donations can help!
LoadUp, a leading on-demand junk removal company, utilizes reverse logistics to give back to the community by donating 90% of the furniture, couches and mattresses we pick up to local charities and nonprofits in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area.
LoadUp has partnered with local Atlanta charities to provide to provide gently-used furniture to families that need a stable and safe place to call home.
The donations LoadUp makes in Atlanta would not be possible without the hard work of organizations including Furniture Bank of Atlanta, Revenant, Salvation Army, Goodwill, local church non-profits, women’s shelters, and many more. It is one of our main goals to ensure your furniture, appliances, and other items in good condition can be used again and is why we’re so grateful to have the assistance of these organizations.
Why LoadUp Donates Furniture in Atlanta GA:
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Why LoadUp Donates to the Atlanta Community
The Atlanta homeless population by the numbers
Homelessness continues to be a significant issue in the United States after a reported 3% rise in the homeless population from 2019 to 2020. About 65 percent are sheltered in emergency or transitional housing, and the other 35 percent are found unsheltered in places not intended for human habitation, such as sidewalks, parks, cars, or abandoned buildings.
To put it into perspective, it’s not all bad news as the Metro Atlanta area has actually seen a steady decline in the past decade. But, the numbers are still staggering.
- In 2009: 6,131 homeless, 1,851 living on the streets.
- In 2019: 3,217 homeless, 719 living on the streets.
- In 2020: 3,240 homeless, 939 living on the streets.
- In 2021: To protect health and safety during COVID-19, the Georgia Balancer of State CoC did not conduct an unsheltered Point in Time Count in 2021.
- In 2022: 2,017 homeless, 640 living on the streets.
Atlanta’s homeless numbers drop 38% in survey ~ Partners for Home, a nonprofit organization that works to combat homelessness, reports a 38% decrease in the homeless population since 2020 in their Point in Time Count, which identifies people who were homeless on one night in January of each year. This is the lowest annual count recorded since 2013.
While the number of people homeless has gone down there is still a lot of work to do!
When an individual or disadvantaged family acquires permanent housing, buying furniture like couches, beds, dining tables, and other items doesn’t happen quickly. They may have a home but without basic furniture, they might have no choice but to eat and sleep on the floor.
The mental effects of living out on the streets
The ability to succeed in life can depend on how someone experiences stress and whether or not there are support systems. However, when you’re dealing with levels of neglect and the stresses of living in an impoverished household, it can lead to living with increased anxiety.
Anxiety can affect memory, impulse and mood control, leading to difficulties in learning, solving problems, and following rules. Only 62% of the children who spend their childhood in poverty ever get their high school diploma compared to the 90% of children with no history of poverty who do receive their diploma. This gap only widens when looking at college degrees.
How LoadUp is helping collect furniture donations
LoadUp’s goal is to help reduce mental and physical stress by assisting families in having the resources necessary to build a stable life. We try to achieve this by donating 90% of the used furniture items and household goods picked up in Atlanta, Georgia.
By donating the furniture we pick up, we’re not only helping people get some rest after a stressful day, but we’re also lowering the environment’s pollution rate.
Furniture donation & reuse is better on the environment
By booking with LoadUp, Atlanta locals are donating and recycling their gently-used items. This diverts furniture out of landfills, and ultimately makes our environment that much greener.
According to the EPA (environmental protection agency), the amount of furniture taken to landfills increased from 7.6 million tons in 2005 to 9.69 million tons in 2015, and it’s steadily rising every year! The community needs more options to reduce, reuse, and recycle all of their goods, including the hard-to-do ones like mattresses, bulky furniture and televisions.
Now, thanks to organizations like The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, Revenant LLC, and more, there are eco-friendly furniture recycling options available in Atlanta GA that also help support a good cause. If you can’t sell it, donate it!
❓Did you know: You receive a tax deduction for all charitable donations at local thrift stores.
If you need help, text a picture of your gently-used items to LoadUp for more details about scheduling a furniture pickup. We can help you help an individual or family in need, while also keeping our landfills and environment furniture-free.
Need help hauling old furniture? BOOK A PICKUP ❯
The Charitable Organizations LoadUp Partners With
LoadUp’s charitable efforts would go nowhere without the prolific help of organizations like The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta and Revenant LLC. These charities are helping to make sure individuals and families can make their house a home.
The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
Photo Credit: The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta Instagram
The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta provides free furniture to the under-privileged. Their mission is “to recycle gently-used furniture by collecting it from the community and giving it to individuals and families moving out of homelessness and fleeing domestic violence, as well as countless others struggling to make ends meet.”
Since 1988, they have been working for this purpose, improving living conditions in Atlanta and giving families the chance to relax on a couch or sleep in a warm bed after a long day.
In order to be completely eco-friendly while helping the local community, we at LoadUp rely on kind organizations like The Furniture Bank of Atlanta to allow us the opportunity to drop certain items off to be re-used. Your items may be considered for donation if they are in good enough condition to be given away.
🤝 Looking to volunteer? Click this link to sign up as a Furniture Bank of Atlanta volunteer.
Revenant LLC
Revenant LLC is a motorcycle group in Atlanta with a powerful mission. Their goal is to raise money and awareness for the less fortunate of our community through various types of fundraising efforts, ie: motorcycle benefit rides, social media donations, etc.
From raising $5,000 for tornado victims in Alabama to loading up a disaster relief trailer with supplies, these hard workers are the exact type of group LoadUp is proud to partner with.
Now along with LoadUp and The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, Revenant continues their local fundraising charity works, but also helps with providing furniture and other household items to the less fortunate.
Furniture Donation: Giving Back While Sustaining the Environment
Everyone goes through tough times and stress, but impoverished families and individuals, those coming out of homelessness or terrible life experiences undergo more than most.
It’s important to LoadUp and partners to lessen the stress that living without sufficient resources, such as furniture, can bring. Especially when our landfills are overfilling with poorly distributed goods and resources.
To make these resources reach the right families and individuals, LoadUp will always endeavor to assist the Atlanta community. By diverting furniture from landfills and providing them to the right people, we’re building a better standard of living and a sustainable environment.
Media Gallery: Furniture Donations in Atlanta, GA
Schedule your donation pickup! BOOK A PICKUP ❯
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