Words by Abi Scaife
Home is where the heart is - but even the most loving parent will struggle to keep their child safe in unsuitable conditions.
We met with Emily Wheeler, the founder and CEO of Furnishing Futures, a brilliant charity that is turning social housing into a home for those who are not able to do it themselves.
Emily is a registered social worker and has spent about 20 years in frontline child protection work across some of the most deprived areas of London. For many of those families, they are placed in social housing that is unfurnished, inappropriate and sometimes even dangerous.
“I could see how living in those conditions without those things was impacting parents' mental health, particularly mothers, who were feeling very depressed and hopeless,” says Emily. “I also met a number of women who [left] violent, abusive partners placed in empty social housing that was unfurnished with no support.”
During a career break when she had her children, Emily also spent some time working in interior decorating, where she saw another side to the problem.
“For five years, I worked full-time in interiors and I noticed the amount of waste in the industry and just the amount of excess. Yet, at the same time, there are millions of people who don't have access to basic things.”
Social housing is given to you completely empty, Emily tells us; they even rip the flooring out.
“It's guidance given to all social housing providers and the reason that they give is for hygiene and health and safety,” explains Emily. “But it's wasteful because it's a blanket approach. We would like to see housing associations surveying the flooring and making a decision about whether or not it could be retained or cleaned. And we'd also like to see more support available in the form of grants and resettlement payments.”
Unfortunately, ripping the floors up and stripping the housing back to basics, leaves people, especially families with young children, vulnerable. You can’t put a baby down on a floor which isn’t there. It’s not a safe environment, never mind an enjoyable or stimulating one.
Emily adds: “In some cases, women who had escaped abusive partners chose to go back to dangerous situations because they couldn't look after their children in those conditions.”
Emily was driven to begin Furnishing Futures by the families she saw suffering, while knowing that there is so much furniture going to waste in another industry. By connecting the two, she is helping to combat multiple problems, the first of which is something that should be available to all - a safe and suitable place to call home.
“I started this as a project in my spare time, while I was still working full-time in child protection,” admits Emily. “I was driving around evenings and weekends picking up secondhand furniture and delivering it to women who needed it.”
“I knew what people needed was a home. They didn't just need a secondhand armchair or a bed for their child; they needed to feel valued and cared for.”
Emily and her small team at Furnishing Future work specifically with women and children who have escaped domestic violence and been put in empty social housing. They provide everything from the beds to the sheets, cutlery and crockery, cupboards and books for children. It’s not just furniture - it’s a home.
Furnishing Futures works in partnership with the interior industry, taking donations of furniture. Sometimes it has been used in events or on film sets, are samples or deadstock or perhaps units from film sets; so much is in almost new condition but can’t be used.
Now, thanks to Emily, it isn’t just being used; it is transforming lives.
“They're always very emotional. Sometimes they're really joyful, often they are incredibly emotional and crying; but with happiness and relief,” Emily says, of the reactions they get. “The most common comment that we get is ‘I didn't realise that it would look like this. I didn't realise you would do so much for me. I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you.’”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Generation Rent. This charity is fighting to stop renters from being unfairly evicted from their homes. Support them here.
Emmaus. Emmaus is a UK based charity and community working together to end homelessness. Learn more here.
Centrepoint. This charity supports homeless young adults aged 16-25, and aims to end youth homelessness in the UK. Find out more here.
